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Catalog 2007

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Photos: M.J. Maloney, Mark C. Flannery (aerial photos)

Message from the Vice President for Academic Affairs 3

Olin Mission 4

Olin History 5

Program Descriptions 7

Course Listings 25

Academic Policies 55

Student Life Overview 67

Admission, Expenses, and Need-Based Aid 73

Faculty Profiles 79

Board of Trustees, President’s Council, and Senior Administration 95

Appendices 105

Academic Partnerships

Accreditation Statement

ABET Accreditation Status

Non-discrimination Statement

Academic Calendar for 2007–08 109

TABLE OF CONTENTS ■

From its inception, Olin College has been about

innovation and high standards. Our curriculum

is the product of an unusual collaboration

among faculty, staff, and students that is aimed

at continually improving our

academic program. In a sense,

our curriculum will never be

a finished product. We will

always be enhancing it in

pursuit of our mission of

providing a superb engineering

education to the nation’s brightest and most

enterprising students.

As you will see when you look through this cat-

alog, Olin’s academic program consists of more

than just traditional engineering courses. Olin

students often work in interdisciplinary teams

in a project-based learning environment. The

curriculum provides not only a first-rate engi-

neering education, but also opportunities to

explore entrepreneurship and a broad selection

of the liberal arts.

Olin views its program as a “learning continu-

um” that connects and often blends the formal

academic program to co-curricular activities,

research with faculty, clubs, community service

and “Passionate Pursuits.” The learning contin-

uum is vital for the kind of vibrant, student-

centered culture we have created at Olin — a

culture that fosters hands-on learning, creativity,

entrepreneurial thinking, and discovery. We

invite you to explore Olin College.

Dr. Michael E. Moody

Vice President for Academic Affairs

and Dean of Faculty

Message from the Vice President

for Academic Affairs

College Mission Statement

Olin College prepares future leaders through an

innovative engineering education that bridges

science and technology, enterprise, and society.

Skilled in independent learning and the art of design,

our graduates will seek opportunities and take

initiative to make a positive difference in the world.

Long-term Aspiration

Olin College aspires to establish and maintain a position as

a national leader in the development of new and effective

approaches to undergraduate engineering education. It is our

intent that, as we realize our mission, the educational and

student life concepts and approaches we develop will inspire

change at other respected engineering schools.

Olin History

Olin, the Man

Franklin W. Olin (1860–1951) was an engineer,

entrepreneur, and professional baseball player.

Raised in Vermont lumber camps and lacking a

high school diploma, he qualified for entrance

to Cornell University through self-instruction.

At Cornell he majored in civil engineering and

was captain of the baseball team. He even

played major league baseball during the sum-

mers to finance his education. He went on to

found the company known today as the Olin

Corporation, a Fortune 1000 company.

Olin, the Foundation: F. W. Olin

Foundation

In 1938, Mr. Olin transferred a large part of this

personal wealth to a private philanthropic foun-

dation. Over the subsequent two-thirds of a

century, the F. W. Olin Foundation awarded

grants totaling nearly $800 million to construct

and fully equip 78 buildings on 58 independent

college campuses. Recipients include Babson,

Bucknell, Carleton, Case-Western, Colgate,

Cornell, DePauw, Harvey Mudd, Johns

Hopkins, Marquette, Rose-Hulman Institute,

Tufts, University of San Diego, University of

Southern California, Vanderbilt and Worcester

Polytechnic. In 2004 the Foundation announced

its intention to transfer its remaining assets to

Olin College and close its doors. This final

grant brings the Foundation’s total commit-

ment to Olin College to more than $460 million,

which is one of the largest such commitments

in the history of American higher education.

Olin, the Vision

Starting in the late 1980’s, the National Science

Foundation and engineering community at-

large began calling for reform in engineering

education. In order to serve the needs of the

growing global economy, it was clear that

engineers needed to have business and

entrepreneurship skills, creativity and an

understanding of the social, political and

economic contexts of engineering. The F. W.

Olin Foundation decided the best way to maxi-

mize its impact was to create a college from

scratch to address these emerging needs.

Olin, the College

The Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

received its educational charter from the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1997,

the same year the Foundation announced its

ambitious plans for the college. Planning and

architectural design work for a state-of-the-art

campus began almost immediately. By the

end of 1999, the new institution’s leadership

team had been hired and site development

work commenced on 70 acres adjacent to

Babson College. Olin’s first faculty members

joined the college by September 2000.

The college officially opened in fall 2002 to its

inaugural freshman class. In the year prior to

the opening, 30 student “partners” worked

with Olin’s world-class faculty to create and

test an innovative curriculum that infused a

rigorous engineering education with business

and entrepreneurship as well as the arts,

humanities and social sciences. They devel-

oped a hands-on, interdisciplinary approach

that better reflects actual engineering practice.

State-of-the-art facilities matched with first-rate

students, nationally renowned professors and

unbridled enthusiasm, have quickly established

Olin as a nationally recognized center for inno-

vation and excellence in engineering educa-

tion. Olin graduated its first class in May 2006.

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ OLIN HISTORY

CATALOG

Program Descriptions

Objectives, Pedagogy and

Curriculum

Introduction

Engineering education at Olin is in the liberal

arts tradition, with a strong emphasis on the

Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, and

Entrepreneurship. Olin is committed to prepar-

ing graduates who recognize the complexity of

the world, who appreciate the relationship of

their work to society, and who are dedicated to

creative enterprises for the good of humankind.

Olin College endeavors to provide its education

at little cost to the student.

Olin College strives to foster in students:

• a deep appreciation and comprehension

of the principles of engineering analysis

and design;

• a broad knowledge of social and

humanistic contexts;

• the ability to identify opportunities, articu-

late a vision, and see it to fruition; and

• dedication to intellectual vitality, commu-

nity involvement and lifelong personal

growth.

Objectives

Olin’s educational program helps students

become individuals who:

1. Can make a positive difference within

their profession and their community.

2. Demonstrate technical competence and

creative problem-solving skills that foster

success in a variety of postgraduate envi-

ronments, including professional practice

and graduate school.

3. Are prepared for and capable of appropri-

ate response to social, technical and

global changes.

We hope that, after graduation, our students

will increasingly demonstrate achievement of

these objectives as follows:

1. They will demonstrate the ability to rec-

ognize opportunity and to take initiative.

They will be able to communicate effec-

tively and to collaborate well with others.

They will understand the broad social,

economic and ethical implications of their

work, and will be cognizant of their pro-

fessional responsibilities.

2. They will have a solid grounding in fun-

damental principles of science and engi-

neering and the ability to apply this

knowledge to the design, analysis, and

diagnosis of engineering systems. They

will be able to develop creative design

solutions that are responsive to technical,

social, economic and other realistic con-

siderations.

3. They will demonstrate the results of a

broad education that spans math, sci-

ence, engineering, the arts, humanities,

social sciences, and entrepreneurship.

They will build on this foundation

throughout their careers by engaging in

independent learning in order to identify

and respond to emerging technical and

social developments.

Pedagogy

Olin College’s educational perspective provides

a distinctive student experience designed to

foster student engagement and development.

Some of the key features of the Olin College

experience are described in the following

paragraphs.

Hands-On Learning

Olin has a strong commitment to incorporating

hands-on educational experiences through lab

and project work in many courses. From the

outset of the curriculum, students build techni-

cal knowledge and develop practical skills by

analyzing, designing, or fabricating engineering

systems. First year Integrated Course Blocks

(ICBs) provide hands-on projects involving the

modeling, simulation, and analysis of engineer-

ing systems. Science courses offer opportuni-

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS ■

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

CATALOG

ties for experimental design and the use of

modern instrumentation and testing tech-

niques. The design stream offers opportunities

for students to design, prototype, and test solu-

tions to authentic problems.

Open-Ended Project-Based Learning

Throughout the curriculum, Olin students grad-

ually build competency in solving open-ended

problems. Projects are found in all four years

of the curriculum, and project experiences

gradually increase in scale, complexity, and

realism as students develop their knowledge

and skills. In open-ended projects, student

teams identify and define problems, assess

opportunities, apply technical knowledge,

demonstrate understanding of contextual fac-

tors, muster appropriate resources to solve

problems, and apply skills such as teamwork,

communication, and idea generation. Olin’s

open-ended project emphasis culminates in an

ambitious two-semester SCOPE project that

engages student teams in significant design

problems with realistic constraints.

Multidisciplinary Integration

Olin experiences are designed to build connec-

tions between fundamental science, mathemat-

ics, and engineering; between different fields of

engineering; between the arts, humanities and

social sciences and technical disciplines; and

between business, entrepreneurship, and tech-

nology. As a result, the Olin curriculum is con-

ceived and taught in a highly interdisciplinary

way.

In the first year, students learn in Integrated

Course Blocks (ICBs) designed to take advan-

tage of the synergies that exist among mathe-

matics, science, and engineering topics,

including coordinated opportunities for stu-

dents to apply fundamental math and science

to real engineering problems and that further

elucidate important linkages among discipli-

nary topics.

In addition to the first-year ICBs, Olin builds

multidisciplinary connections through tightly

coupled, faculty team-taught courses such as

the Paul Revere: Tough as Nails course block

that links history of technology with materials

science. Many other courses feature teaching

or visits from faculty members who share dif-

ferent perspectives and thereby help students

understand the broader context and implica-

tions of their work.

Competency Assessment

In addition to course-based graduation require-

ments, Olin develops and assesses student

growth in a number of overarching competen-

cy areas. Through Olin’s competency learning

and assessment system, students demonstrate

skill in essential areas such as communication,

qualitative understanding and quantitative

analysis, teamwork, contextual thinking, oppor-

tunity assessment, diagnosis, design, and life-

long learning.

Feedback

Olin College fosters a culture of continual

feedback and improvement. Olin’s curriculum,

courses, and extra-curricular activities are

shaped by student input and feedback. Faculty

solicit student feedback and routinely adjust

course direction and areas of emphasis to

better address student educational needs.

Students are expected to be active learners

and participants in the process of continual

improvement.

Individualized and Student-Designed Options

Olin students may design or customize many

aspects of their educational experience. Many

Olin courses include student-designed compo-

nents such as projects, self-study modules, and

selection of emphasis areas. More substantial

student-designed and student-driven learning

may be found in the following activities:

Self-Study The Olin Self Study (OSS) is a four-

credit institutional requirement in which each

student works independently to select and

study a body of literature in an area of interest-

ed. It is an opportunity to develop the skills and

attitudes of life-long learning, a competency

Olin considers vital for engineers working in an

environment of rapidly-changing technology.

SCOPE and Capstones A student’s final year at

Olin centers on an ambitious year-long Senior

COnsulting Program for Engineering (SCOPE)

project. A typical SCOPE project is undertaken

by a team of four to eight students under the

supervision of an Olin faculty member and

serves an external partner. The SCOPE project

prepares students for life and work in their cho-

sen profession. In addition, each student

undertakes a self-designed one-semester

Capstone project in an area of interest within

the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, or

Entrepreneurship.

Cross Registration Most students choose to

complete some degree requirements at Olin’s

neighboring institutions. Cross registration

agreements are in place at Wellesley, Babson,

and Brandeis, enabling Olin students to benefit

from other institutions’ expertise in the arts,

humanities, social sciences, natural sciences,

and business topics.

Self-Designed Engineering (E) Degree

Concentrations Besides designated concentra-

tions, the Engineering (E) degree offers stu-

dents the opportunity to design their own

concentrations, subject to review and approval

by the Engineering Program Group.

Away Experience The Olin curriculum is

designed so that students who wish to spend

a semester away from the College can do so.

The away experience may take several forms

including experience abroad or at another U.S.

institution in a new cultural setting. The away

experience can occur during a semester or a

combination of a semester and summer.

Research Some students choose to enhance

their educational experience through participa-

tion in research activities. Olin offers many

opportunities for faculty-directed undergradu-

ate research, both during the academic year

and during the summer. Students may receive

either academic credit or pay for a research

activity. Students are encouraged to become

involved in research early in their undergradu-

ate career, and students may participate in

research as early as their first year.

Independent Study In independent study activi-

ties, students work with faculty members to

design and implement a learning and assess-

ment plan for the study of topics not covered

by listed Olin courses.

Passionate Pursuits Students are encouraged

to undertake non-degree credit activities in the

form of Passionate Pursuits. These programs

seek to recognize the diversity of technical,

artistic, entrepreneurial, humanist, and philan-

thropic interests that students bring to the

College. The College encourages the pursuit

of such activities for both personal and profes-

sional development. Olin supports these

endeavors by providing resources as well as

recognition on the transcript.

Curriculum

The Olin College curriculum provides a strong

foundation in engineering, mathematics, and

applied science subjects and promotes devel-

opment of engineering analysis, diagnosis,

modeling, and problem-solving skills.

Engineering

Engineering is using technical knowledge to

solve society’s problems. Every Olin graduate

takes a program of studies designed to provide

a superb grounding in the technical material of

engineering while simultaneously connecting

that material to its applications and contexts of

use. From the earliest modeling and simulation

activities of the Integrated Course Blocks (ICBs)

and the hands-on projects of Design Nature

through the project-intensive Principles of

Engineering and User Oriented Collaborative

Design courses, Olin students are continually

putting engineering knowledge to work.

Each Olin student also pursues a major pro-

gram or concentration that is broad, deep,

coherent, and rigorous in the field of Electrical

and Computer Engineering, Mechanical

Engineering, or another area of Engineering

of the student’s choice. Olin’s Engineering cur-

riculum culminates in the Senior COnsulting

Program for Engineering (SCOPE) project, in

which interdisciplinary teams of students work

for a full year to solve an authentic, intensive,

real-world engineering problem.

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS ■

Math and Science

Olin’s math and science curriculum serves two

purposes. First, it provides students with an

understanding of the deep and precise ideas

that characterize science and math. Second, it

teaches fundamental ideas and techniques in

science and math whose application makes

engineering possible.

A student’s math and science education begins

at Olin with two Integrated Course Blocks

(ICBs) centered around the modeling, analysis,

and control of compartment and spatially dis-

tributed systems. Math in the ICBs is focused in

the first semester on differential and integral

calculus in the context of elementary numerical

analysis, and on vector calculus in the second

semester. Science is focused on physical

mechanics in the first semester and on electro-

magnetism and waves in the second semester.

Olin also requires all students to complete

coursework in Biology and in either Materials

Science and Applied Chemistry or General

Chemistry.

Design

Over the course of four years, students com-

plete design projects that enable them to apply

technical and non-technical knowledge and

skills, develop understanding of design

processes, identify and define problems,

explore contextual factors that contribute to

design decisions, and muster the resources

necessary to realize solutions. Students under-

take open-ended design problems in many

courses, but design learning is emphasized and

explicitly developed through a sequence of

required design courses. All students complete

Design Nature, User-Oriented Collaborative

Design, and a further design depth course in

an area of interest.

Arts, Humanities, and Social

Sciences (AHS)

Olin students study the Arts, Humanities and

Social Sciences in order to complete their liber-

al arts education, develop broad knowledge of

social, cultural, and humanistic contexts, and

foster their ability to apply contextual thinking

in the study of engineering and other disci-

plines. A firm foundation in AHS content, skills,

and attitudes is an essential aspect of an engi-

neering education. Students select AHS cours-

es from offerings at Olin and neighboring insti-

tutions (Wellesley, Brandeis and Babson) in

order to satisfy their individual needs and inter-

ests. All students complete a “foundation” AHS

course that offers an overview of an AHS disci-

pline, writing instruction and practice, an intro-

duction to contextual and critical thinking, and

integration of the content and perspectives of

different disciplines. In addition, students com-

plete additional AHS coursework in areas of

interest.

Each Olin student also designs a sequence of

AHS or Entrepreneurship courses to provide

greater depth in a single field. This sequence

culminates in a student-conceived AHS or

Entrepreneurship Capstone, requiring students

to integrate acquired skills and knowledge.

AHS Capstone experiences include research or

artistic works, service projects or advanced

study.

Entrepreneurship (E!)

Entrepreneurship is the process of identifying

opportunities, fulfilling human needs, and cre-

ating value. An understanding of the knowl-

edge, skills and behaviors required for success

in entrepreneurship will position students to

become better engineers and to make a posi-

tive difference in the world. To this end, Olin’s

curriculum supports the learning of entrepre-

neurship, broadly defined. Olin graduates will

demonstrate a capacity to identify social, tech-

nical, and economic opportunities, to predict

challenges and costs associated with the pur-

suit of opportunities, and to make decisions

about which opportunities are most worthy of

pursuit.

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

CATALOG

Olin students are required to complete a

Foundations of Business and Entrepreneurship

course and the entrepreneurial components of

design courses. Students have the opportunity

to enroll in courses relating to business at

Babson College, and interested students may

design a sequence of courses to explore an

entrepreneurship discipline in depth.

Many students will also explore entrepreneur-

ship and develop opportunity assessment

abilities through their SCOPE experience and

out-of-class activities such as student clubs,

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS ■

1ST YEAR

1st Semester2nd Semester

= 16 or (optionally)

18 credits

= 16 credits

2ND YEAR

1st Semester2nd Semester

= 16 credits

Introductory

Programming

(optional)

ENGINEERING

MC:

Compartment

Systems

MATH

Calculus

SCIENCE

Physics:

Mechanics

ENGINEERING

Design Nature

AHS

Arts, Humanities,

Social Science

Foundation

ENGINEERING

MC:

Spatially

Distributed

Systems

MATH

Vector Calculus

SCIENCE

Physics:

Electromag-

netism

and Waves

SCIENCE

e.g., Biology

OR Material Science

E! FOUNDATION

Foundations of

Business and

Entrepreneurship

MATH

Linear Algebra

Probability and

Statistics

ENGINEERING

Principles of

Engineering

SCIENCE

e.g., Chemistry

OR Math and Science

OR Materials Science

AHS

Arts, Humanities,

Social Science

MATH ENGINEERING

Program

Specific

Engineering

ENGINEERING

Program

Specific

Engineering

ENGINEERING

User-Oriented

Collaborative

Design

INTEGRATED COURSE BLOCK (ICB)

MATH or

SCIENCE

Sample Four-year Schedule

The curriculum provides for considerable flexibility and student choice about how to meet require-

ments. This chart is an example of one of many ways a student might progress through the four-

year program.

community service, and Passionate Pursuits.

The Entrepreneurship experience can culmi-

nate in an Entrepreneurship Capstone, requir-

ing students to integrate acquired skills and

knowledge.

Through a special arrangement with the

Babson College Graduate School, Olin students

have the opportunity for a “fast track” to a

Master’s Degree in Management with a special-

ization in Technical Entrepreneurship.

Communication

Throughout the curriculum, Olin College inte-

grates the instruction and practice of written,

spoken, visual, and graphical communication.

Thus, it is not only within the Arts, Humanities,

and Social Sciences that an Olin student can

expect communication-intensive course work.

The Olin curriculum reflects the college’s com-

mitment to the engineer as a highly skilled

communicator.

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

3RD YEAR

1st Semester2nd Semester

= 16 credits

4TH YEAR

1st Semester2nd Semester

= 16 credits

ELECTIVE ENGINEERING

Program

Specific

Engineering

ENGINEERING

Program

Specific

Engineering

AHS

Arts, Humanities,

Social Science

ELECTIVE ENGINEERING

Program

Specific

Engineering

ELECTIVE AHS/E!

Arts, Humanities,

Social Science or

Entrepreneurship

ENGINEERING

Design Depth

ENGINEERING

SCOPE

AHS/E!

Arts, Humanities,

Social Science or

Entrepreneurship

ENGINEERING

Olin

Self-Study

ENGINEERING

Program

Specific

Engineering

ENGINEERING

SCOPE

AHS/E!

Capstone

SCIENCE or MATH

MATH or SCIENCE

Graduation Requirements

Students must satisfy two classes of require-

ments in order to graduate from Olin:

General Requirements and Program-Specific

Requirements. General requirements must be

satisfied by all students regardless of degree or

concentration. Program-Specific Requirements

vary depending on the degree being sought

(ECE, ME or E) and, for the E degree, on the

chosen concentration.

General Requirements and Program-Specific

Requirements are further broken down into

Distribution Requirements and Course

Requirements, both of which must be satisfied.

Distribution Requirements specify the mini-

mum total number of credits that must be com-

pleted in each of five broad areas (Engineering,

Math, Science, AHS, and Entrepreneurship).

Course requirements specify which courses

must be completed. Some course requirements

can only be satisfied by completing a particular

course. Other course requirements allow more

choice. Some courses may be used to satisfy

one of several course requirements, but stu-

dents must choose which course requirement

such course’s completion is applied toward.

A course completion can only satisfy one

course requirement.

General Distribution and Course

Requirements

General Distribution Requirements

All students must complete a minimum of 120

credits appropriately distributed among five

areas of study. The table below gives the mini-

mum credits required in each area.

Area Minimum

Credits Required

Engineering 46

Math and Science 30 of which at least

10 must be Math

AHS and Entrepreneurship 28 of which at least

12 must be AHS*

A credit corresponds to an average of three

hours of student work each week throughout

an academic semester. Therefore, a four-credit

course (the most common course size at Olin)

generally requires students to spend 12 hours

each week attending classes, completing

homework, participating in laboratory activi-

ties, and fulfilling all other course responsibili-

ties.

The course catalog lists, for each course, the

number of credits earned and their area. Most

courses provide credit in only one area. Some

courses distribute their credits across more

than one area.

Students must register for at least 12 credits

but no more than 20 credits each semester.

Students typically register for approximately

16 credits per semester. First-year students are

limited to 18 credits in the first semester.

Some activities, like Passionate Pursuits and a

few classes, provide non-degree credit, which

appears on the transcript, but does not count

toward Credit Requirements. Non-degree credit

counts toward the maximum credits per

semester, but not toward the minimum.

* The AHS Capstone does not count toward the 12

credit AHS minimum.

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS ■

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

Integrated Course Blocks (ICBs)

Title Number Notes

Integrated Course Block 1 (ICB1)

• Math: Calculus MTH 1110

• Physics: Mechanics SCI 1110

• Engineering: Modeling and Control of ENGR 1110

Compartment Systems

Integrated Course Block 2 (ICB2)

• Math: Vector Calculus MTH 1120

• Physics: Electromagnetism and Waves SCI 1120

• Engineering: Modeling and Control of Spatially Distributed Systems ENGR 1120

Math and Science (in addition to ICBs)

Title Number Notes

Linear Algebra MTH 2120

Probability and Statistics MTH 2130

Foundations of Modern Biology (with laboratory) SCI 1210

Chemistry/Material Science — One of:

• Introduction to Chemistry (with laboratory) SCI 1310

• Materials Science and Solid State Chemistry (with laboratory) SCI 1410

• Organic Chemistry (with laboratory) SCI 2320

Engineering (in addition to ICBs)

Title Number Notes

Principles of Engineering ENGR 2210

SCOPE ENGR 4190

Olin Self Study ISR 4198

General Course Requirements

All Olin students, regardless of degree or concentration, must satisfy the following course require-

ments. The table includes one or more current classes that satisfy each requirement.

Design

Title Number Notes

Design Nature ENGR 1200

User-Oriented Collaborative Design ENGR 2250

Design Depth Course — One of:

• Sustainable Design ENGR 3210 See the current registration

• Human Factors and Interaction Design ENGR 3220 booklet for possible additional

• Design for Manufacturing ENGR 3380 options, including special topics

• Usable Products ENGR 3230 courses.

AHS and Entrepreneurship

Title Number Notes

AHS Foundation — One of: All AHS foundation courses offer:

• History of Technology: A Cultural and AHSE 1100 • an introduction and overview

Contextual Approach of an AHS discipline

• The Wired Ensemble — AHSE 1122 • writing instruction and practice

Instruments, Voices, Players • an introduction to contextual

• Seeing and Hearing: Communicating AHSE 1130 and critical thinking, and

with Photographs, Video and Sound • examples of how one might

• Culture & Difference: an Anthropological AHSE 1140 integrate the content and

Approach perspectives of different

• What is “I”? AHSE 1150 disciplines.

Foundations of Business and Entrepreneurship AHSE 1500

AHS or Entrepreneurship Concentration Students must design a sequence

of at least eight credits of courses

in an approved AHS or

Entrepreneurship discipline.

AHS or Entrepreneurship Capstone AHS 4190 or AHS 4590 Students must design and com-

plete an authentic, four credit AHS

or Entrepreneurship project in their

area of AHS or Entrepreneurship

concentration.

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS ■

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

Self-Study

The Olin Self Study (OSS) is a four-credit self-study project in which students identify an area or

question of interest, develop and follow a plan of study in pursuit of understanding important con-

cepts in the proposed area or in pursuit of an answer to the proposed question, and write a report

of the knowledge gained, applied, analyzed, synthesized, and/or evaluated through the investiga-

tion. The OSS serves to (1) develop students’ skills in working independently to learn challenging

material and to tackle challenging problems; (2) develop students’ skills in independent writing;

and (3) hone students’ skills and attitudes enabling life-long learning, a competency Olin considers

vital for engineers working in an environment of rapidly changing technology.

Students can satisfy the OSS requirement by completing four credits of self-study that is relevant

to their SCOPE project and that is advised and evaluated by their SCOPE advisor. Students can also

work under the supervision of an Olin faculty member on projects not related to SCOPE.

Independent Study and Research

In independent study activities, students work with faculty members to design and implement a

learning and assessment plan for the study of topics not covered by listed Olin courses.

Olin offers opportunities for undergraduate research experiences both during the academic year

and during the summer. Students may receive academic credit or pay for a research activity, but

not both. Independent study and research credit may be applied toward credit requirements in par-

ticular areas (Math/Science/AHS/Entrepreneurship/Engineering) and toward the overall 120 credit

requirement. These activities are normally taken Pass/No Credit. In order to use independent study

to satisfy a course requirement, prior approval must be obtained from the CSTB and the activity

must be taken for a grade. Only in exceptional cases will research be approved to satisfy a course

requirement.

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS ■

Program-Specific Requirements

Olin College offers three degrees: Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE),

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (ME), and Bachelor of Science in Engineering (E).

Course Requirements for each of these degrees are outlined below. A course that is used to satisfy

a General Course Requirement cannot also be used to satisfy a Program-Specific Requirement

Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)

Electrical and Computer Engineering is a degree program designed to meet ABET Program Criteria

in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Olin’s ECE degree focuses on the devices and structure of

computing and communications systems, with an emphasis on hardware design. The Electrical

and Computer Engineering Program has the following three educational objectives:

Program Educational Objective I:

Our graduates will be recognized as individuals who can make a

positive difference within their profession and their community.

Elaboration: Our graduates will demonstrate the ability to recognize opportunity and to take ini-

tiative. They will be able to communicate effectively and to work effectively on teams. They will

understand the broad social, economic and ethical implications of their work, and will be cog-

nizant of their professional responsibilities.

Program Educational Objective II:

Our graduates will demonstrate technical competence in electri-

cal and computer engineering and creative problem-solving skills that foster success in a variety of

postgraduate environments, including professional practice and graduate school.

Elaboration: Our graduates will have a solid grounding in fundamental principles of science and

electrical and computer engineering and the ability to apply this knowledge to analyze and diag-

nose electrical and computer engineering systems. They will be able to develop creative design

solutions that are responsive to technical, social, economic and other considerations.

Program Educational Objective III:

Our graduates will be prepared for and capable of appropriate

response to social, technical and global changes during their lifetimes.

Elaboration: Our graduates will demonstrate the results of a broad education that focuses on

electrical and computer engineering, but also encompasses the arts, humanities, social sciences,

and entrepreneurship. They will build on this foundation by engaging in independent learning in

order to identify and respond to emerging technical and social developments.

The Course Requirements of the ECE program are:

Requirement Course Name Number

ECE Math — All of: Differential Equations MTH 2140

Discrete Mathematics MTH 2110

ECE — All of: Signals and Systems ENGR 2410

Introduction to Microelectronic Circuits ENGR 2420

Software Design ENGR 2510

Computer Architecture ENGR 3410

Analog and Digital Communications ENGR 3420

ECE — One of: Controls ENGR 3370

Robotics ENGR 3390

Digital VLSI ENGR 3430

Modern Sensors ENGR 3440

Semiconductor Devices ENGR 3450

Error Control Codes MTH 3140

Any level 3000 or higher E:C course, or

other course approved by ECE program group

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

Mechanical Engineering (ME)

Mechanical Engineering is a degree program designed to meet ABET Program Criteria in

Mechanical Engineering. The ME requirements emphasize the design of mechanical and

thermal/fluid systems. The Mechanical Engineering Program Educational Objectives are:

Program Educational Objective I:

Our graduates will be recognized as individuals who can make a

positive difference within their profession and their community.

Elaboration: Our graduates will demonstrate the ability to recognize opportunity and to take ini-

tiative. They will be able to communicate effectively and to work effectively on teams. They will

understand the broad social, economic and ethical implications of their work, and will be cog-

nizant of their professional responsibilities.

Program Educational Objective II:

Our graduates will demonstrate technical competence in

mechanical engineering and creative problem-solving skills that foster success in a variety of post-

graduate environments, including professional practice and graduate school.

Elaboration: Our graduates will have a solid grounding in fundamental principles of science and

mechanical engineering and the ability to apply this knowledge to analyze and diagnose

mechanical engineering systems. They will be able to develop creative design solutions that are

responsive to technical, social, economic and other considerations.

Program Educational Objective III:

Our graduates will be prepared for and capable of appropriate

response to social, technical and global changes during their lifetimes.

Elaboration: Our graduates will demonstrate the results of a broad education that focuses on

mechanical engineering, but also encompasses the arts, humanities, social sciences, and entre-

preneurship. They will build on this foundation by engaging in independent learning in order to

identify and respond to emerging technical and social developments.

The Course Requirements of the ME program are:

Requirement Course Name Number

ME Math: Differential Equations MTH 2140

One of:

• Partial Differential Equations MTH 3120

• Non-Linear Dynamics and Chaos MTH 3170

• other math course approved by ME program group

ME — All of: Transport Phenomena ENGR 3310

Mechanics of Solids and Structures ENGR 3320

Mechanical Design ENGR 3330

Dynamics ENGR 3340

Thermodynamics ENGR 3350

ME — One of: Topics in Fluid Dynamics ENGR 3360

Controls ENGR 3370

Design for Manufacturing ENGR 3380

Robotics ENGR 3390

Failure Analysis and Prevention ENGR 3820

Phase Transformation in Ceramic and Metallic Systems ENGR 3830

other course approved by ME program group

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS ■

Engineering

The Engineering Degree program offers a major in Engineering that is both rigorous and flexible.

This program gives students the option to pursue new areas of engineering and interdisciplinary

combinations of engineering and other fields. It is also intended to give the college mechanisms

for investigating new areas and creating new concentrations. All paths to graduation with the engi-

neering degree provide for all outcomes required by the ABET General Criteria. The Engineering

Program has three educational objectives

Program Educational Objective I:

Our graduates will be able to make a positive difference within

their profession and their community.

Elaboration: Our graduates will demonstrate the ability to recognize opportunity and to take ini-

tiative. They will be able to communicate effectively and to work well on teams. They will under-

stand the broad social, economic and ethical implications of their work, and will be cognizant of

their professional responsibilities.

Program Educational Objective II:

Our graduates will demonstrate technical competence and cre-

ative problem-solving skills that foster success in a variety of postgraduate environments, includ-

ing professional practice and graduate school.

Elaboration: Our graduates will have a solid grounding in fundamental principles of mathemat-

ics, science, and engineering and the ability to apply this knowledge to the design, analysis and

diagnosis of engineering systems. They will be able to develop creative design solutions that

are responsive to technical, social, economic and other realistic constraints and considerations.

Program Educational Objective III:

Our graduates will be prepared for and capable of appropriate

response to social, technical and global changes during their careers.

Elaboration: Our graduates will possess a broad understanding of math, science, engineering,

the arts, humanities, social sciences, and entrepreneurship. They will build on this foundation

throughout their careers by engaging in independent learning in order to identify and respond

to emerging technical and social developments.

Students who choose the Engineering degree may specify a concentration, which is a set of class-

es that constitute a coherent area of study. A student’s concentration appears on the diploma but

not on the official transcript. The college offers designated concentrations in Bioengineering,

Computing, Materials Science, and Systems. Alternatively, students may design a concentration in

another area.

Students who choose the Engineering degree must submit a concentration plan along with their

declaration of major. The plan lists the courses the student intends to take to fulfill graduation

requirements, and demonstrates that these courses (along with additional required courses) consti-

tute a major in engineering that has depth, breadth, coherence, and rigor

The concentration plan must be signed by the student’s adviser and two faculty members whose

area of expertise is relevant to the proposed area of study (if the adviser’s area is relevant, the

adviser can count as one of the two).

Concentration plans are reviewed by the Engineering Program Group. This group is responsible for

checking the following criteria:

• Do the proposed courses constitute a major in Engineering that has breadth, depth, coherence

and rigor?

• Do the faculty who approved the plan have relevant expertise? Should other faculty be con-

sulted?

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

• Is the plan feasible based on a reasonable forecast of course offerings? The availability of

faculty and other resources determines which classes we can offer and their schedule, which

may limit a student’s ability to complete a particular concentration.

• Is the plan comparable to the designated concentrations and previous student-designed con-

centrations? If a student-designed concentration is named, is the proposed name accurate and

appropriate?

The designated concentrations are examples of recommended programs, but all course plans go

through the same review process. The concentration plan is provisional. If approved and complet-

ed, a student may use it to graduate. Minor substitutions may be made with adviser approval; sub-

stantive changes require approval of the Engineering Program Group.

Engineering: Bioengineering (E:Bio)

Bioengineering is an interdisciplinary concentration rooted in engineering, biology, and chemistry.

The E:Bio concentration prepares students to approach problems important to biology, medical

research, and clinical studies; it provides some of the background required for medical school.

Requirement Course Name Number

E:Bio Math Four credits of advanced Mathematics appropriate

to the program of study

E:Bio Biology Four credits of advanced Biology

E:Bio Chemistry/ Four credits of Chemistry, Materials Science, or SCI 1310, SCI 1410,

Materials Science Organic Chemistry in addition to the General SCI 2320

Course Requirements

E:Bio Bioengineering 12 credits of coursework appropriate to

Bioengineering

Students wishing to pursue the E: Bio concentration within the Engineering major must develop a

specific program of study in consultation with bioengineering faculty. Below are some guidelines

on course selection:

Advanced Mathematics courses include MTH 3120 Partial Differential Equations and MTH 3170

Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos (note that both these courses have MTH 2140 Differential

Equations as a prerequisite). Advanced Biology courses include SCI 2210 Immunology and SCI

3210 Human Molecular Genetics in the Age of Genomics. Bioengineering courses include all ENGR

36xx-series courses, as well as ENGR 3810 Structural Biomaterials. E:Bio course plans may include

classes at Babson, Brandeis, Wellesley, or other institutions. Note that this is not an exhaustive list

of acceptable courses; other courses may be used to fulfill each of these requirements if they are

part of an approved course plan.

Students interested in pursuing medical, dental or veterinary school admission should contact Dr.

Janey Pratt, Olin Senior Partner in Health Science, as early in their Olin studies as possible, and

ensure that their course plan meets the requirements of the programs they are considering.

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS ■

Engineering: Computing (E:C)

The Computing concentration integrates the study of computer science and software engineering

within a broad interdisciplinary context. The E:C concentration offers significant flexibility, particu-

larly with courses taken off-campus.

Requirement Course Name Number

E:C Math Discrete Mathematics MTH 2110

E:C — All of: Software Design ENGR 2510

Foundations of Computer Science ENGR 3520

Software Systems ENGR 3525

8 additional credits in computing.

Additional computing credits may include Olin courses such as ENGR 3410 Computer Architecture

or advanced computer science courses at Babson, Brandeis, Wellesley, or study away institutions.

ENGR 3220 Human Factors and Interaction Design may count toward the course requirements of

E:C, but only if it is not used to satisfy the Design Depth requirement.

Engineering: Materials Science (E:MS)

Materials Science is an inherently interdisciplinary field with a strong presence throughout most

engineering and science disciplines. Olin’s materials science concentration provides an integrated

approach to materials, merging a variety of engineering design principles with concepts from

solid-state physics and applied chemistry. Students who complete the E:MS concentration will

achieve an understanding of structure-property-processing-performance relationships in materials,

the ability to apply advanced scientific and engineering principles to materials systems, and the

skills to synthesize appropriate technical and contextual information to solve materials selection

and design problems.

Requirement Course Name Number

E:MS Math Differential Equations MTH 2140

E:MS 20 credits of engineering subjects appropriate

to the program of study with a minimum of twelve

credits in materials science subjects.

Students wishing to pursue the Materials Science concentration within the Engineering major must

develop a specific program of study in consultation with materials science and applied chemistry

faculty. Such programs may emphasize different aspects of materials science, such as structural

materials, solid state properties of materials, processing and manufacturing, or applied chemistry.

Engineering: Systems (E:SYS)

The Systems concentration focuses on the design of products that integrate significant technology

from multiple disciplines, with a focus on products that merge ECE and ME. Such products are par-

ticularly hard to create because designers tend to have specialized, rather than broad, knowledge

of disciplines.

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

Requirement Course Name Number

E:SYS Math Differential Equations MTH 2140

E:SYS ECE Signals and Systems ENGR 2410

Any two of: Introduction to Microelectronics Circuits ENGR 2420

Software Design ENGR 2510

Computer Architecture ENGR 3410

Analog and Digital Communications ENGR 3420

E:SYS ME Transport Phenomena ENGR 3310

Any two of: Mechanics of Solids and Structures ENGR 3320

Mechanical Design ENGR 3330

Dynamics ENGR 3340

Thermodynamics ENGR 3350

E:SYS Systems ENGR 3710

Course Listings

Offerings

Information in this catalog is subject to change.

Up-to-date information is available at the StAR

website: http://star.olin.edu.

Course Numbering

Nomenclature

Course numbers are composed of an alphabet-

ic prefix and a numeric suffix. The alphabetic

prefix indicates the primary area of the course,

according to the following table. Note that

some courses earn credit for multiple areas

(see Course Listings Table below).

Alphabetic Prefix Primary Area

AHSE AHS/Entrepreneurship

ENGR Engineering

MTH Mathematics

SCI Science

The first digit of the numeric suffix indicates

the nominal level of a course according to the

following table.

Numeric Suffix Level

0XXX Not Applicable

1XXX Introductory

2XXX Intermediate

3XXX Advanced

4XXX Summative/Capstone/SCOPE

Hours/Week

Nomenclature

To better allow teaching staff, facilities sched-

ulers, and students to manage the time

requirements of every course, the number of

expected hours per week is indicated by a

triple of numbers, as follows:

(Contact) – (Non-Contact) – (Preparation)

• Contact The first number indicates

approximately the number of hours per

week teaching staff and students will

spend together in scheduled school

facilities.

• Non-Contact The second number indi-

cates approximately the number of hours

students will spend each week working on

their own in scheduled school facilities.

• Preparation The third number indicates

approximately the number of hours per

week a well-prepared student with good

study habits should expect to spend

studying and completing homework,

reading assignments, projects, etc.

For example, the AHSE 1100 History of

Technology: A Cultural and Contextual

Approach course is described as a 4-0-8

course, so students in the course can expect

to spend four hours in class with an instructor,

and approximately eight hours outside of class

completing course-related assignments.

Prerequisites and

Co-requisites

Prerequisites and co-requisites may occasion-

ally be waived with permission of the course

instructor.

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

COURSE LISTINGS ■

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ COURSE LISTINGS

Course Listings Summary

Number Name Prerequisites Co-requisites Instructor Credits Hours Offered

AHSE 0112 The Olin Conductorless Audition Dabby 1 AHS 2-0-1 Fall,

Orchestra Spring

AHSE 1100 History of Technology: Martello 4 AHS 4-0-8 Fall

A Cultural and Contextual

Approach

AHSE 1122 The Wired Ensemble — Ability to read Dabby 4 AHS 4-0-8 Fall

Instruments, Voices, music

Players

AHSE 1130 Seeing and Hearing: Donis-Keller 4 AHS 4-0-8 Fall

Communicating with

Photographs, Video

and Sound

AHSE 1140 Culture and Difference: An Lynch 4 AHS 4-0-8 Fall

Anthropological Approach

AHSE 1150 What is “I”? Stein 4 AHS 4-0-8 Fall (not

offered

every year)

AHSE 1500 Foundations of Business Bourne, 4 AHSE 4-0-8 Fall,

and Entrepreneurship Schiffman Spring

AHSE 2110 The Stuff of History: SCI 1410 Martello 4 AHS 4-0-8 Spring

Materials and Culture in (not offered

Ancient, Revolutionary every year)

and Contemporary Times

AHSE 2112 Six Books that Changed AHS Foundation Martello 2 AHS 4-0-8 Spring

the World (1st half)

AHSE 2114 Science Fiction and AHS Foundation Martello 2 AHS 4-0-8 Spring

Historical Context (2nd half)

AHSE 2120 Heroes for the Dabby 4 AHS 3-0-9 Alt Spring

Renaissance Engineer: (odd

Leonardo, Nabokov, Bach, years)

Borodin

AHSE 2130 The Intersection of Art Donis-Keller 4 AHS 4-0-8 Alt Fall

and Science (even

years)

AHSE 2131 Responsive Drawing and Donis-Keller 4 AHS 4-0-8 Fall

Visual Thinking

AHSE 2140 Anthropology: Culture AHS Foundation Lynch 4 AHS 4-0-8 Spring

Knowledge and Creativity

AHSE 3130 Advanced Digital AHSE 1130 Donis-Keller 4 AHS 4-0-8 Alt Fall

Photography (odd

years)

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

COURSE LISTINGS ■

Number Name Prerequisites Co-requisites Instructor Credits Hours Offered

AHSE 4190 AHS Capstone Permission of AHS Staff 4 AHS 4-0-8 Fall,

Instructor(s) Spring

AHSE 4590 Entrepreneurship Permission of Bourne, 4 AHSE 2-0-10 Fall,

Capstone Instructor(s) Schiffman Spring

ENGR 1110 ICB1 Engineering: SCI 1110 G. Pratt, 3 ENGR 3-3-3 Fall

Modeling and Control of and MTH 1110 Storey

Compartment Systems

ENGR 1120 ICB2 Engineering: SCI 1120 G. Pratt, 3 ENGR 3-3-3 Spring

Modeling and Control of and MTH 1120 Storey

Spatially Distributed

Systems

ENGR 1200 Design Nature Eris, Linder, 4 ENGR 6-4-2 Fall

Staff

ENGR 1510 Introductory Programming Downey 2 ENGR 2-1-1 Fall

ENGR 2210 Principles of Engineering ENGR 1120 Minch, 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Fall,

Mur-Miranda Spring

ENGR 2250 User Oriented Eris, Linder, 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Spring

Collaborative Design Staff

ENGR 2410 Signals and Systems Dabby, Yim 4 ENGR 2-2-8 Spring

ENGR 2420 Introduction to ENGR 1120 Minch 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Spring

Microelectronic Circuits

ENGR 2510 Software Design Downey, 4 ENGR 5-0-7 (F) Fall,

Stein 6-0-6 (S) Spring

ENGR 3210 Sustainable Design ENGR 2250 Linder 4 ENGR 4-0-8 Fall

ENGR 3220 Human Factors and ENGR 2250 Stein 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Fall,

Interface Design Spring

ENGR 3230 Usable Products: ENGR 2250 Eris 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Spring

Analyzing the User

Experience for Redesign

ENGR 3310 Transport Phenomena ICB2 Storey, 4 ENGR 4-0-8 Fall

Townsend

ENGR 3320 Mechanics of Solids ICB1 Lee 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Spring

and Structures

ENGR 3330 Mechanical Design ICB2 ENGR 3320 Barrett 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Fall,

Spring

ENGR 3335 Mechanical Vibrations MTH 2120, Lee 4 ENGR 4-0-8 Fall

MTH 2140

ENGR 3340 Dynamics ICB1 MTH 2140 Bingham 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Fall

ENGR 3350 Thermodynamics Storey, 4 ENGR 4-0-8 Spring

Townsend

ENGR 3355 Renewable Energy ENGR 3350 Townsend 4 ENGR 4-0-8 Fall

ENGR 3360 Topics in Fluid Dynamics ENGR 3310 Storey 4 ENGR 4-0-8 Spring

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ COURSE LISTINGS

Number Name Prerequisites Co-requisites Instructor Credits Hours Offered

ENGR 3370 Controls ENGR 2410 or Bingham 4 ENGR 4-0-8 Spring

ENGR 3340

ENGR 3380 Design for Manufacturing ENGR 2250 Sabin 4 ENGR 4-0-8 Spring

ENGR 3390 Robotics Barrett, 4 ENGR 4-0-8 Spring

G. Pratt

ENGR 3410 Computer Architecture ICB2 Chang 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Fall

ENGR 3420 Introduction to Analog ENGR 2410 TBA 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Fall

and Digital

Communications

ENGR 3425 Analog VLSI ENGR 2420 Minch 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Alt Fall

(odd years)

ENGR 3430 Digital VLSI ICB2 Chang 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Spring

ENGR 3440 Modern Sensors ICB2, ENGR 2410 Somerville 4 ENGR 4-4-4 TBA

ENGR 3450 Semiconductor Devices ICB2; SCI 1410 Somerville 4 ENGR 4-4-4 TBA

or SCI 3110

ENGR 3520 Foundations of ENGR 2510 MTH 2110 Stein 4 ENGR 4-0-8 Every 3rd

Computer Science semester

(beginning

Fall 04)

ENGR 3520A Foundations of Computer ENGR 3520 Stein 2 ENGR 1-0-5 Every 3rd

Science Project semester

(beginning

Fall 04)

ENGR 3525 Software Systems Downey 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Every 3rd

semester

(beginning

Spring 05)

ENGR 3530 Synchronization Downey 2 ENGR 2-2-2 Every 3rd

semester

(beginning

Spring 05)

ENGR 3540 Computational Modeling ENGR 2510 Downey 4 ENGR 4-0-8 Every 3

years

(beginning

Fall 05)

ENGR 3550 Computer Systems and TBA 2 AHS + 4-0-8 TBA

Public Policy 2 ENGR

ENGR 3600 Topics in Bioengineering Sieminski 4 ENGR 4-0-8 Fall

ENGR 3610 Biomedical Materials SCI 1210, Chachra 4 ENGR 4-0-8 Fall

SCI 1410

ENGR 3710 Systems Completion of Bingham, 4 ENGR 4-0-8 Fall

other E:SYS G. Pratt

requirements

ENGR 3810 Structural Biomaterials SCI 1410 Chachra 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Fall

SCI 1210

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

COURSE LISTINGS ■

Number Name Prerequisites Co-requisites Instructor Credits Hours Offered

ENGR 3820 Failure Analysis and SCI 1410 Stolk 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Spring

Prevention

ENGR 3830 Phase Transformation SCI 1410 Stolk 4 ENGR 4-4-4 Fall

in Ceramic and Metallic

Systems

ENGR 4190 Senior COnsulting Program Must be Staff 4 ENGR 4-0-8 Fall,

for Engineering (SCOPE) Senior Spring

ENGR 4190A Senior COnsulting Program Open to non- Staff variable 4-0-8 (4)

for Engineering (SCOPE) Olin students 2 or 4 2-0-4 (2)

MEC 1000 Fundamentals of Machine Anderson 4 Non- 6-0-6 Fall,

Shop Operations degree Spring

MTH 1110 ICB1 Math: SCI 1110 Geddes, 2 MTH 2-0-4 Fall

Calculus and ENGR 1110 Tilley

MTH 1120 ICB2 Math: SCI 1120 TBA 2 MTH 2-0-4 Spring

Vector Calculus and ENGR 1120

MTH 2110 Discrete Mathematics Adams 4 MTH 4-0-8 Fall

MTH 2120 Linear Algebra Moody, 2 MTH 2-0-4 Fall,

Adams, Spring

Tilley

MTH 2130 Probability and Statistics Moody, 2 MTH 2-0-4 Fall,

Adams, Spring

Tilley

MTH 2140 Differential Equations ICB2 Moody 2 MTH 2-0-4 Fall,

Spring

MTH 2160 Introduction to MTH 1110 Tilley 2 MTH 2-0-4 Spring

Mathematical Modeling

MTH 3120 Partial Differential MTH 2120, Tilley 4 MTH 4-0-8 Fall

Equations MTH 2140

MTH 3130 Mathematical Analysis ICB2 Moody 2 MTH 2-0-4 TBA

MTH 3140 Error Control Codes MTH 2120, Adams 2 MTH + 4-0-8 Spring

MTH 2110 2 ENGR

MTH 3150 Numerical Methods and MTH 2120, Tilley 4 MTH 4-0-8 Spring

Scientific Computing MTH 2140

MTH 3160 Introduction to Complex ICB2, MTH 2140 Tilley 4 MTH 4-0-8 Fall

Variables

MTH 3170 Nonlinear Dynamics MTH 2120, Geddes 4 MTH 4-0-8 Spring

and Chaos MTH 2140

SCI 1110 ICB1 Physics: MTH 1110 Christianson, 3 SCI 3-0-6 Fall

Mechanics and ENGR 1110 Holt

SCI 1120 ICB2 Physics: MTH 1120 Christianson, 3 SCI 3-0-6 Spring

Electromagnetism and and ENGR 1120 Zastavker

Waves

SCI 1210 Principles of Modern J. Pratt, 4 SCI 4-3-5 Fall,

Biology (with laboratory) Donis-Keller Spring

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ COURSE LISTINGS

Number Name Prerequisites Co-requisites Instructor Credits Hours Offered

SCI 1310 Introduction to Chemistry TBA 4 SCI 4-3-5 Spring

(with laboratory)

SCI 1410 Materials Science and Chachra, 4 SCI 3-3-6 Fall,

Solid State Chemistry Stolk Spring

(with laboratory)

SCI 2110 Biological Physics ICB1, ICB2 Zastavker 4 SCI 4-0-8 TBA

SCI 2120 Biological Thermodynamics ICB1, ICB2 Zastavker 4 SCI 4-0-8 Spring

SCI 2130 Modern Physics ICB2 Holt 4 SCI 4-0-8 Fall

(formerly SCI 3110)

SCI 2140 Relativity ICB1 ICB2 Holt 2 SCI 2-0-4 Spring

(odd years)

SCI 2210 Immunology SCI 1210 J. Pratt 4 SCI 4-0-8 Fall

SCI 2320 Organic Chemistry TBA 4 SCI 4-3-5 Fall

(with laboratory)

SCI 3120 Solid State Physics SCI 2130 SCI 2130 Christianson 4 SCI 4-0-8 Alt Spring,

(odd years)

SCI 3130 Advanced Classical ICB2, MTH 2120 Zastavker 4 SCI 4-0-8 Alt Fall

Mechanics MTH 2140

SCI 3210

Human Molecular Genetics

SCI 1210 or Donis-Keller 4 SCI 4-0-8 Fall

in the Age of Genomics BISC 219

(Wellesley)

Course Listings

Integrated Course Block (ICB) 1:

MTH 1110

ICB 1 Math: Calculus

Instructor(s): Geddes, Tilley

Credits: 2 MTH

Hours: 2-0-4

Co-requisites: SCI 1110 and ENG 1110

Usually Offered: Fall

An overview of differential and integral calcu-

lus in the context of elementary numerical

analysis.

SCI 1110

ICB 1 Physics: Mechanics

Instructor(s): Christianson, Holt

Credits: 3 SCI

Hours: 3-0-6

Co-requisites: MTH 1110 and ENG 1110

Usually Offered: Fall

This course provides a thorough introduction

to classical mechanics. We will cover kinemat-

ics, the basis of Newton’s laws, particle dynam-

ics, the concepts of momentum, work, energy,

and rotational motion, and oscillations.

Additionally, the course will establish the

basics of solid and fluid mechanics, concluding

with introductory topics in thermodynamics.

Our goal is to share with you the excitement of

discovering the material universe at its most

basic levels and to equip you with the basic

knowledge and analytical skills necessary to

become a scientist or an engineer.

ENGR 1110

ICB 1 Engineering: Modeling and Control

of Compartment Systems

Instructor(s): G. Pratt, Storey

Credits: 3 ENGR

Hours: 3-3-3

Co-requisites: MTH 1110 and SCI 1110

Usually Offered: Fall

A hands-on class in the modeling and control

of compartment systems, including first and

second order thermal, mechanical, and electri-

cal systems, the nature of effort and flow

(across and through state variables) as univer-

sal concepts, power and energy, impedance,

damping, passivity, qualitative feedback

stability, and hysteretic, P, PI, and PID control.

Students will also learn to use MATLAB, to use

Simulink, and to write basic real-time control

and simulation software.

Integrated Course Block (ICB) 2:

MTH 1120

ICB 2 Math: Vector Calculus

Instructor(s): TBA

Credits: 2 MTH

Hours: 2-0-4

Co-requisites: SCI 1120 and ENG 1120

Usually Offered: Spring

An overview of differential and integral calcu-

lus in higher dimensions. Topics include sur-

faces, partial differentiation, gradients, multiple

integrals, line integrals, Green’s, Divergence,

and Stokes’ theorems, and their applications

to science and engineering.

SCI 1120

ICB 2 Physics: Electromagnetism and

Waves

Instructor(s): Christianson, Zastavker

Credits: 3 SCI

Hours: 3-0-6

Co-requisites: MTH 1120 and ENG 1120

Usually Offered: Spring

Electricity and magnetism, including electric

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

COURSE LISTINGS ■

charges, forces, and fields, Gauss’s Law,

potential, electrostatic energy and capacitors,

magnetic fields and energy, mutual and self

induction, Ampere’s Law, Maxwell’s Equations,

acoustic and electromagnetic waves, polariza-

tion, interference and diffraction.

ENGR 1120

ICB 2 Engineering: Modeling and Control

of Spatially Distributed Systems

Instructor(s): G. Pratt, Storey

Credits: 3 ENGR

Hours: 3-3-3

Co-requisites: MTH 1120 and SCI 1120

Usually Offered: Spring

A hands-on class in the modeling and control

of spatially distributed systems, including ther-

mal diffusion in 1D and 2D, the heat equation,

the wave equation, characteristic impedance

and wave velocity, simple (Cartesian grid) finite

difference analysis, acoustic transmission lines,

electrical transmission lines, termination and

wave reflection.

Arts, Humanities, Social Science,

and Entrepreneurship

AHSE 0112

The Olin Conductorless Orchestra

Instructor(s): Dabby

Credits: 1 AHS

Hours: 2-0-1

Prerequisites: Audition

Usually Offered: Fall, Spring

Grading Type: Pass/No Credit

The Olin Conductorless Orchestra (OCO) —

an ensemble, minus conductor — features

instrumentalists in leadership and collaborative

roles. Dedicated to orchestral performance in

the concerted spirit of chamber music, the

orchestra forges individual participation, active

listening, and group-motivation into perform-

ances that have established it as the only con-

ductorless orchestra of its kind at an American

college. (A student can apply up to 4 OCO cred-

its to the 28 required credits in AHSE, or can

petition to apply up to 4 OCO credits to the

AHS concentration. Any additional credits, i.e.,

more than 4, earned by a student enrolling in

OCO will show up as additional AHS credits,

but will not count toward satisfying the requi-

site 28 credits in AHSE.)

AHSE 1100

History of Technology: A Cultural and

Contextual Approach

Instructor(s): Martello

Credits: 4 AHS

Hours: 4-0-8

Usually Offered: Fall

This course operates on three levels of inquiry

and exploration. In the most detailed sense,

we look at several major History of Technology

themes, such as Technological Systems,

Technology and Culture, and Technology and

the Environment. We address larger historical

questions, such as the interpretation of evi-

dence and the combination of analysis and

narrative. Finally, we conduct writing, presenta-

tion, creativity, and analysis exercises that

contribute to competencies such as communi-

cation and contextual understanding.

AHSE 1122

The Wired Ensemble: Instruments,

Voices, Players

Instructor(s): Dabby

Credits: 4 AHS

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: Ability to read music

Usually Offered: Fall

Two concurrent streams comprise The Wired

Ensemble:

• composition and performance of original

works for instruments and voices

• exploration of music through written and

oral communication.

As composers and performers, students con-

centrate on instruments, voices, and the sym-

bolic language that brings them to life. They

compose music for every family of instruments

(woodwinds, brass, strings, percussion), as

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well as voice and spoken word. The course

features semiweekly performances of original

compositions by fellow musicians. Students

also have the opportunity to hear their works

performed in concert settings by professional

and student musicians with whom they have

collaborated.

Seminar trips to Boston and New York enable

the class to gather musical and inspirational

material, in addition to hearing some of the

finest orchestral and vocal ensembles in per-

formance. While actively engaged in composi-

tion and performance — all geared to an

end-of-term production — students examine

the worlds of earlier composers in order to

provide context for their own lives and work.

Prerequisite: ability to read music. The Wired

Ensemble is sponsored by Toscanini’s Ice

Cream.

AHSE 1130

Seeing and Hearing: Communicating with

Photographs, Video and Sound

Instructor(s): Donis-Keller

Credits: 4 AHS

Hours: 4-0-8

Usually Offered: Fall

Seeing and Hearing is a foundation course that

is about the communication of ideas developed

by research, reflection, and evolving thought,

using as a vehicle for expression contemporary

digital media tools. In this project-based

course, students will have opportunities for

hands-on learning in audio recording and

editing, photography and printing, and video

recording and editing. Science and engineering

content are integrated in order to provide a

reasonably comprehensive understanding of

the devices we use to gather sound and

images and in order to understand more fully

the properties of seeing and hearing. A major

goal is to enlarge our awareness of the envi-

ronment we inhabit and to respond to the

perceived environment by producing original

visual and sonic artwork. Students will com-

plete projects including a self-portrait, a sound-

piece that is used as an audio track for a short

video, a video documentary, and a staged

narrative. Our process is to share work through

discussion sessions as we follow projects from

their initial stages to completion and final

presentation. Additional context for Seeing and

Hearing is provided by selected readings, visits

by guest lecturers, additional faculty and staff

participation and by viewing work of other

professional practitioners. This course does

not require prior experience with image/sound

gathering or editing.

AHSE 1140

Culture and Difference: An

Anthropological Approach

Instructor(s): Lynch

Credits: 4 AHS

Hours: 4-0-8

Usually Offered: Fall

This course introduces students to key con-

cepts and methods in cultural anthropology.

Cultural anthropology is the study of how

humans organize their lives as members of

society, and the ways in which they make these

lives meaningful. Through readings on such

diverse topics as adolescence in Samoa,

epilepsy among Hmong-Americans, and

McDonald’s in Hong Kong, this course will

explore contemporary anthropological

approaches to three central questions: 1) What

is culture? 2) Does “culture” explain why

people do what they do and believe what they

believe? 3) What fate and value do cultural dif-

ferences have in today’s interconnected world?

AHSE 1150

What is “I”?

Instructor(s): Stein

Credits: 4 AHS

Hours: 4-0-8

Usually Offered: Fall (not offered every year)

This interdisciplinary exploration of identity

draws on a diverse range of genres in the

Humanities, Social Sciences, Arts and

Sciences. Prior offerings have drawn from

Anthropology, Artificial Intelligence, Biology,

Film, History, Literature, Memoir, Neuroscience,

Philosophy, Psychology, Political Science,

Science Fiction, Sociology, and Visual Arts.

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Our goal is to understand how individual per-

spective (or the illusion of same) comes into

being and how our own unique perspectives

shape the way that we see the world. Emphasis

is placed on communication and context.

AHSE 1500

Foundations of Business and

Entrepreneurship

Instructor(s): Bourne, Schiffman

Credits: 4 AHSE

Hours: 4-0-8

Usually Offered: Fall, Spring

The course is designed to provide Olin stu-

dents with experience in planning and growing

a business venture. The learning experience is

centered on “doing“ (e.g., engaging in a busi-

ness simulation) while building a student’s

competence in the functional areas of business

including accounting, finance, marketing, and

strategy.

AHSE 2110

The Stuff of History: Materials and Culture

in Ancient, Revolutionary and

Contemporary Times

Instructor(s): Martello

Credits: 4 AHS

Hours: 4-0-8

Co-requisites: SCI 1410 Section 2

Usually Offered: Spring (not offered every

year)

The lion’s share of our history of technology

course features a series of readings, lectures,

and discussions on the relationship between

materials, science, society, and the environ-

ment in three historical periods. We start with

the material practices and paradigms of Copper

and Bronze Age societies, shift to Paul Revere’s

“Revolutionary” work with various metals and

fabrication processes, and conclude with a look

at the technologies and challenges of tomor-

row. We will emphasize the development of

three skills that are vital to our studies: contex-

tual thinking, communication (both written and

oral), and historical research methods pertain-

ing to source evaluation and narrative con-

struction.

AHSE 2112

Six Books that Changed the World

Instructor(s): Martello

Credits: 2 AHS

Hours: 4-0-8

Pre/Co-requisites: AHS Foundation

Usually Offered: Spring (first half)

Why and how do certain books reshape the

course of human history? In this course, we

will explore six books, selected from different

times, societies, and genres, that have had an

unquestionably major impact upon the world

in which we live. Class meetings will alternate

between contextual studies of the historical

context of each book (including the author’s

background, the political and social setting,

and other factors) and careful analyses of the

works themselves. Our discussions will investi-

gate each book’s contemporary and modern

impact while also exploring the qualities that

caused all of our selections to have such an

enduring and global effect. Students will be

expected to contribute to class discussions,

make presentations, and write a report on an

additional book of their choosing. NOTE: this

course will be offered during the first half of

the spring semester, will meet twice a week,

and will require approximately 12 hours of

student effort each week.

AHSE 2114

Science Fiction and Historical Context

Instructor(s): Martello

Credits: 2 AHS

Hours: 4-0-8

Pre/Co-requisites: AHS Foundation

Usually Offered: Spring (second half)

Science fiction is a wonderful genre that some-

how captures a society’s ideals, fears, assump-

tions, and major challenges. In the same way

that a historian attempts to piece together

complex cause-effect chains to make sense

of the past, science fiction writers project the

values, technologies, and beliefs of their own

societies into alternate or future realities. Our

class will work together to understand the con-

ventions of science fiction and explore science

fiction works (books, short stories, film) pro-

duced in different times, across various cul-

tures, and in different sub-genres of this field.

Students will have the opportunity to analyze

different works of science fiction through

writings and class discussions, and can also

choose to develop a science fiction idea of their

own. NOTE: this course will be offered during

the second half of the spring semester, will

meet twice a week, and will require approxi-

mately 12 hours of student effort each week.

AHSE 2120

Heroes for the Renaissance Engineer:

Leonardo, Nabokov, Bach, Borodin

Instructor(s): Dabby

Credits: 4 AHS

Hours: 3-0-9

Usually Offered: Alt Spring (odd years)

To what extent have artists exhibited extraordi-

nary knowledge and ability in science? Does

this necessarily infuse their art, and if so, how?

Source documents provide the key focus for

analysis and critical thought. Artists in the

fields of literature, art, and music include

Vladimir Nabokov (writer and lepidopterist),

Leonardo da Vinci (artist and engineer),

Alexander Borodin (composer and chemist),

and J. S. Bach (composer, performer, and

acoustician). Each of these achieved a self-

sufficiency enabling the articulation and real-

ization of work that reveals a singular vision,

shaped in part by fluency in both technical and

artistic disciplines. Class trips to concerts and

museums in Boston and New York enable stu-

dents to explore firsthand the works of these

individuals. Students also have the opportunity

to realize projects that meld the arts and sci-

ences in order to experience firsthand the satis-

faction and challenges faced by Bach, Borodin,

Nabokov, and Leonardo in their desire for

knowledge, discovery, and creative expression.

AHSE 2130

The Intersection of Art and Science

Instructor(s): Donis-Keller

Credits: 4 AHS

Hours: 4-0-8

Usually Offered: Alt Fall (even years)

Science and Art are often considered entirely

different worlds inhabited by practitioners who

have nothing in common. In this course, we

will debunk this myth by closely examining the

discovery process in both disciplines and by

comparing the culture of science to that of art,

historically and in the present. We will consider

the influence of scientific discoveries, from

optics to “new media” on the production of art

and discuss the corollary question “Has art

influenced the progress of science?” We will

also consider ways in which science allows us

to understand artists and the work they create.

In contemporary society, artists have begun to

comment on science, sometimes with disas-

trous results, which leads us to ask, “What is

needed in order to establish a meaningful

dialogue between scientists and artists, and,

does it matter?”

AHSE 2131

Responsive Drawing and Visual Thinking

Instructor(s): Donis-Keller

Credits: 4 AHS

Hours: 4-0-8

Usually Offered: Fall

The course assumes no prior experience in

drawing. Students will learn to visualize objects

in three-dimensional space and commit them

to the two-dimensional space of a page, gain-

ing critical experience with “idea sketching,”

an ability that can be put to many uses in

future courses (e.g. project design). Students

will also draw subjects from life, i.e. stationary

objects and life models using media including

charcoal, graphite, conté, and ink. The empha-

sis will be realistic depiction as compared to

non-objective abstraction. Students will begin

with basic exercises in drawing and rapidly

move to more complex intensive drawing

experiences. Approximately one-third of the

classroom time will be used for drawing from a

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life model. Class discussion and sketchbook

homework assignments will be an essential

element in the learning process. Homework

assignments will include drawing and visual

thinking exercises to be completed in personal

sketchbooks. Reading selected text material

is also part of the homework requirement.

Several invited speakers will contribute to the

course and provide informal critiques of stu-

dent work. One field trip is planned to the

Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University in

Cambridge to view art. Other in-class activities

will include participation in discussion of draw-

ings (old master and contemporary) that are

presented to illustrate various objectives of

classroom work (e.g. use of line to indicate

form) and group critique sessions. Assessment

will be based on weekly homework assign-

ments, classroom work, and three drawing

projects to be completed outside of class.

AHSE 2140

Anthropology: Culture, Knowledge and

Creativity

Instructor(s): Lynch

Credits: 4 AHS

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: AHS Foundation

Usually Offered: Spring

Anthropological theories and methods help

us understand human behavior and values.

Broadly speaking, anthropologists ask, “Why

do people do what they do and believe what

they believe?” Today, anthropologists study a

wide range of contemporary social issues, such

as international development, garment manu-

facturing, the production of scientific knowl-

edge, female “circumcision,” and intellectual

property. In this course, we will read about,

debate, and discuss these and other issues in

order to probe into the meanings of culture,

knowledge, and creativity.

• What do anthropologists mean by

culture?

• What does it mean to take cultural differ-

ence seriously?

• Does culture have an influence on what is

considered legitimate “knowledge”?

• If knowledge is “situated,” what happens

when one form of knowledge comes in

contact with another (for instance in

discussions of global human rights)?

• What is the relationship between cultural

difference, situated knowledge, and

human creativity?

• Does globalization threaten to destroy

creativity, stifle innovation, and erase

difference?

After we learn how anthropologists deal with

these questions at a range of research sites, we

will end the course with our own anthropologi-

cal studies that utilize what we have learned

earlier in the course. Students will conduct

short research projects that examine social

issues pertaining to the use of the Internet in

the United States. By ending with a study of

ourselves, students will see how creative we

really are; that we, too, have culture; and that

what we consider legitimate knowledge is cul-

turally situated. The professor will assume no

prior knowledge of anthropology. Skills to be

developed include critical reading, critical

thinking, writing and analysis, presenting argu-

ments in oral and visual form, and working on

projects in small groups. The following texts

will be used, among others: Jean Davison,

Voices from Mutira: Change in the Lives of

Gikuyu Women

, Daniel Miller and Don Slater,

The Internet: An Ethnographic Approach

Jeremy MacClancy,

Exotic No More:

Anthropology on the Front Lines

AHSE 3130

Advanced Digital Photography

Instructor(s): Donis-Keller

Credits: 4 AHS

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: AHSE 1130 or Permission of the

Instructor

Usually Offered: Alt Fall (odd years)

In this course, students will develop a personal

photographic vision and become acquainted

with the work of leading contemporary photog-

raphers. A critical awareness of the medium of

photography and the history of the still photo-

graphic image will also be fostered through

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selected readings, discussions, and visits to

galleries and museums. While communication

with visual images is paramount, technical

issues will be addressed in some depth. For

example, there will be instruction and practice

with color management methods, advanced

Adobe Photoshop, basic bookbinding methods,

and lighting techniques. Regular assignments

and group critiques will help monitor progress

and inspire new directions. The culminating

project will be the design and construction of

an artist’s book by each member of the class.

AHSE 4190

Arts, Humanities, Social Science (AHS)

Capstone

Instructor(s): AHS Staff

Credits: 4 AHS

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: Permission of the Instructor(s)

Usually Offered: Fall, Spring

The AHS Capstone is an advanced, self-

designed AHS project that builds upon a

student’s prior experience in one or more AHS

disciplines. All students must complete either

an AHS Capstone or an Entrepreneurship

Capstone in order to graduate. AHS Capstones

must be proposed to the AHS Committee and

approved by the end of the academic year

prior to the Capstone except in extenuating

circumstances. Additional information on

the AHS Capstone is available at http://proj-

ects.olin.edu/ahs. AHS Capstone students will

complete a proposal, a journal, a disciplinary

deliverable, an analysis of their deliverable,

and a presentation. Class sessions will vary

between “plenary” meetings of all students

and faculty, small group workshops, and indi-

vidual meetings. Please contact the AHS

Committee at [email protected] with any

questions.

AHSE 4590

Entrepreneurship Capstone

Instructor(s): Bourne, Schiffman

Credits: 4 AHSE

Hours: 2-0-10

Prerequisites: Permission of the Instructor(s)

Usually Offered: Fall, Spring

The Entrepreneurship Capstone is an

advanced, self-designed project that builds

upon a student’s prior experience in business

and entrepreneurship. All students must

complete either an AHS Capstone or an

Entrepreneurship Capstone in order to gradu-

ate. Entrepreneurship Capstones must be pro-

posed to the Entrepreneurship Committee

and approved by the end of the academic year

prior to the Capstone except in extenuating

circumstances. Normally, an Entrepreneurship

Capstone student will engage in a team or

individual project to build and/or execute a

plan to bring a new organization, product or

service into being. For this reason, a course on

Entrepreneurship and New Ventures is normal-

ly expected as a prerequisite to enrolling in the

Entrepreneurship Capstone. Courses that satis-

fy this prerequisite include Babson’s EPS3501

or EPS3501T and Olin’s AHSE 3599 Special

Topics in Business and Entrepreneurship:

Technology and New Ventures. If you are

planning to enroll in the Entrepreneurship

Capstone, and have not yet completed this

prerequisite, it is strongly suggested you

enroll in AHSE 3599. Class sessions for the

Entrepreneurship Capstone will consist of sem-

inar-style “plenary” sessions as well as other

pedagogical modalities as appropriate. If

choosing the Entrepreneurship Capstone track,

a student must also complete 8 additional

depth credits in business or entrepreneurship.

The New Ventures course counts for 4 of those

credits. Please contact Steve Schiffman with

any questions.

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Engineering

ENGR 1110

See ICB 1 (top of listings)

ENGR 1120

See ICB 2 (top of listings)

ENGR 1200

Design Nature

Instructor(s): Eris, Linder, Staff

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 6-4-2

Usually Offered: Fall

We take nature, an important source of inspira-

tion and understanding, as a theme and devel-

op bioinspired ideas into functional prototypes.

Our focus is on the general principles and

methods that shape the practice of engineering

design. Students complete individual and team

projects in a studio environment where we

seek to develop a shared practice and under-

standing of engineering design. Students also

gain experience in visualization, experimenta-

tion, estimation, fabrication, and presentation

as they relate to designing.

ENGR 1510

Introductory Programming

Instructor(s): Downey

Credits: 2 ENGR

Hours: 2-1-1

Usually Offered: Fall

This class is an introduction to basic program-

ming intended for students with little or no

programming experience. It develops basic

programming and debugging skills, and covers

concepts including variables and values;

procedures, parameters and arguments; lists,

dictionaries and other collections; and basic

algorithms including map, filter and reduce.

Students completing this class successfully will

be well-prepared for Software Design.

ENGR 2210

Principles of Engineering

Instructor(s): Minch, Mur-Miranda

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: ENGR 1120

Usually Offered: Fall, Spring

Through a significant project experience,

students will learn to integrate analysis, quali-

tative design, quantitative optimization, experi-

ments, and simulations to improve their ability

to engineer real systems. In each section of the

course, students will work in small multidisci-

plinary teams to design and to build a mecha-

tronic system of their own choosing. Each proj-

ect must include both a nontrivial mechanical

system design and a nontrivial electronic

system design involving both hardware and

software components. Projects will be subject

to realistic materials, process, and budgetary

constraints.

ENGR 2250

User Oriented Collaborative Design

Instructor(s): Eris, Linder, Staff

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Usually Offered: Spring

Students develop detailed concepts and

models of authentic new products and servic-

es. Our focus is on user-oriented, collaborative

approaches to design and seeking holistic

solutions integrating user and functional per-

spectives. We emphasize the importance of

process and the development of strategies.

Students observe and engage people to

develop a deep understanding of their values

and the patterns of their lives. They work col-

laboratively in a studio environment to create

a shared understanding of the people they

design for (and with) and the product ideas

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they develop. Topics covered include design

thinking, ethnographic methods, concept

development and interaction design.

ENGR 2410

Signals and Systems

Instructor(s): Dabby, Yim

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 2-2-8

Usually Offered: Spring

Signals (functions of one or more independent

variables) and Systems (devices that perform

operations on signals) presents fundamental

concepts that arise in a variety of fields. The

ideas and techniques associated with these

concepts inform such diverse disciplines as

biomedical engineering, acoustics, communica-

tions, aeronautics and astronautics, circuit

design, and the arts, humanities, and social

sciences. Topics include transforms (Z, Laplace,

Fourier), frequency analysis, convolution, FIR

and IIR systems, stability, generalized func-

tions, modulation (AM and FM), sampling,

and digital filtering.

ENGR 2420

Introduction to Microelectronic Circuits

Instructor(s): Minch

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: ENGR 1120

Usually Offered: Spring

This course will cover elements of linear

circuits, such as the operation of basic circuit

elements, fundamental circuit laws, and analyt-

ic techniques in both the time domain and the

frequency domain. It will also cover the

transistor-level design of complementary

metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) electronic

circuits in the context of modern integrated-

circuit technology. The course will include an

introduction to the fabrication and operation of

metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistors

and to the design and operation of the basic

building blocks of analog integrated circuits

including single-transistor amplifier stages,

current mirrors, cascodes, differential pairs,

and single-stage operational amplifiers.

Throughout the course, an emphasis will be

placed on design-oriented circuit analysis tech-

niques and developing circuit reasoning skills.

ENGR 2510

Software Design

Instructor(s): Downey, Stein

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 5-0-7 (Fall); 6-0-6 (Spring)

Usually Offered: Fall, Spring

This course is an introduction to software

design. This course focuses on a model of

computation as a set of simultaneous ongoing

entities embedded in and interacting with a

dynamic environment, for example: computa-

tion as it occurs in spreadsheets, video games,

web applications, and robots. A major compo-

nent of the class is a weekly three-hour, in-

class laboratory. Much of this laboratory is

spent in collaborative work on program devel-

opment, with an emphasis on student-student

interaction and student-student teaching,

facilitated and enriched by the course staff. In

addition, design and implementation work is

supplemented with observational laboratory

assignments, inviting students to consider not

only how to build a program, but how to antici-

pate its behavior and how to modify that

behavior.

Both students with no prior background and

students with background comparable to the

CS AP should both find this course interesting

and worthwhile.

ENGR 3210

Sustainable Design

Instructor(s): Linder

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: ENGR 2250

Usually Offered: Fall

This course provides a comprehensive

overview of sustainable product design.

Emphasis is placed on learning and using

green design principles, methods, tools and

materials. Examples include life cycle assess-

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ment, eco-efficiency and eco-effectiveness.

A system perspective highlighting material

and energy flows over the complete product

life cycle is used to structure course material.

Students complete substantial reading, investi-

gate existing products and develop their own

product ideas.

ENGR 3220

Human Factors and Interface Design

Instructor(s): Stein

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: ENGR 2250 User Oriented

Collaborative Design (required); ENGR 2510

Software Design or other software develop-

ment experience (recommended)

Usually Offered: Fall or Spring

A hands-on exploration of the design and

development of user interfaces, taking into

account the realities of human perception and

behavior, the needs of users, and the pragmat-

ics of computational infrastructure and applica-

tion. Focuses on understanding and applying

the lessons of human interaction to the design

of usable computer applications; will also look

at lessons to be learned from less usable sys-

tems. This course will mix studio (open project

working time) and seminar (readings and dis-

cussion) formats.

ENGR 3230

Usable Products: Analyzing the User

Experience for Redesign

Instructor(s): Eris

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: ENGR 2250

Usually offered: Spring

What makes products usable? How can prod-

ucts be designed for usability? Students develop

an in-depth understanding of product-user

interactions by redesigning product concepts

they have developed prior to taking the course

for better usability. They identify the user

requirements that drove the development of

their product concepts, treat those require-

ments as hypotheses for a series of user exper-

iments, and redesign their product concepts

based on experimental findings. Video interac-

tion and protocol analyses are introduced as

research methodologies. Fundamental usability

theories are covered.

ENGR 3310

Transport Phenomena

Instructor(s): Storey, Townsend

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: ICB2

Usually Offered: Fall

This course introduces the basic physics and

applications of the transport of heat, mass, and

momentum. Topics in fluid dynamics include

kinematics, conservation laws, dynamic simi-

larity, and laminar flow solutions. Topics in

heat and mass transfer include internal and

external convection, free convection, boiling

and condensation, and the analogy between

heat and mass transport. Applications in aero-

dynamics, geophysical flows, manufacturing

processes, and biological systems will be dis-

cussed.

ENGR 3320

Mechanics of Solids and Structures

Instructor(s): Lee

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: ICB1

Usually Offered: Spring

This course covers the principles of statics of

structures and mechanics of materials. Topics

include tension, compression, shear, torsion,

bending, stresses, deflection, and strain in

loaded members. Students will use a combina-

tion of analysis and simulation to understand

the principles of mechanics. The course

includes applications in structural engineering

and machine elements. Students are intro-

duced to the use of finite element methods

as a tool for design and analysis.

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■ COURSE LISTINGS

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COURSE LISTINGS ■

ENGR 3330

Mechanical Design

Instructor(s): Barrett

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: ICB2

Co-requisites: ENGR 3320

Usually Offered: Fall, Spring

This design course introduces new topics in

machine design and applies and integrates

the basic mechanical and thermal engineering

sciences. Topics in machine element design

include stress, strain, deflection, stiffness, and

failure of mechanical components, steady and

variable loading, mechanical fastening and

joining, and the design of mechanical compo-

nents, including springs, bearings, gears,

shafts, and axles. The course includes a major

design component that involves the fabrication

and physical testing of mechanical compo-

nents.

ENGR 3335

Mechanical Vibrations

Instructor(s): Lee

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: MTH 2120, MTH 2140

Usually Offered: Fall

This course is an intermediate treatment of the

dynamics of elastic bodies. The following top-

ics are covered: derivation of equations of

motion of rigid/elastic bodies using Newton/

Euler; Lagrangian, and Hamilton’s Principle for-

mulations; linearization and stability analysis;

time and frequency domain techniques for free

and forced vibration of conservative and non-

conservative single and multi-degree-of-free-

dom systems; vibration of simple continuous

systems; introduction to concepts in random

and nonlinear vibrations. Applications are

drawn from areas ranging from structures to

microdevices. Course assignments and projects

include hands-on vibration measurements and

computational simulation.

ENGR 3340

Dynamics

Instructor(s): Bingham

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: ICB1

Co-requisites: MTH 2140

Usually Offered: Fall

This course contains the analytical and concep-

tual tools for understanding how mechanical,

electrical, and electromechanical systems

undergo changes in state. To analyze such

systems we will apply both momentum and

variational principles to derive the equations of

motion. Hands-on demonstrations will illustrate

the concepts behind these fundamental tools,

and students will work on real-world examples

from robotics, vehicle systems, spacecraft, and

intelligent-structures.

Building on the ability to derive the equations

of motion for rigid bodies, we extend the

analysis to lumped parameter and continuous

systems. This course will deliver generic tools

for characterizing linear and nonlinear system

behavior in the time and frequency domains.

The hands-on component of the course will

explore the fundamental concepts of system

dynamics: system modes (eigenvalues and

vectors), spectrum analysis, and time response.

ENGR 3350

Thermodynamics

Instructor(s): Storey, Townsend

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-0-8

Usually Offered: Spring

This course covers the fundamental principles

of thermodynamics and physical chemistry as

applied to engineering systems. This course

provides a foundation in fundamental thermo-

dynamic phenomena, including the first and

second laws of thermodynamics, thermody-

namic properties, equations of state in real and

ideal gases, and chemical equilibrium. The

basic laws are used to understand and analyze

the performance and efficiency of systems,

such as automobile engines, gas turbines,

steam power plants, and refrigerators.

ENGR 3355

Renewable Energy

Instructor(s): Townsend

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: ENGR 3350

Usually Offered: Fall

Modern society relies on stable, readily avail-

able energy supplies. Renewable energy is an

increasingly important component of the new

energy mix. The course covers energy conver-

sion, utilization and storage for renewable

technologies such as wind, solar, biomass,

fuel cells and hybrid systems and for more

conventional fossil fuel-based technologies.

Thermodynamics concepts (including the first

and second law) will form the basis for model-

ing the renewable energy systems. The course

also touches upon the environmental conse-

quences of energy conversion and how renew-

able energy can reduce air pollution and global

climate change. Transport Phenomena is rec-

ommended as a co-requisite, but not required.

ENGR 3360

Topics in Fluid Dynamics

Instructor(s): Storey

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: ENGR 3310

Usually Offered: Spring

This course will build upon the fundamentals

learned in ENGR 3310 (Transport Phenomena)

and discuss modern applications of fluid

dynamics. The theme for the course will be

advertised during course registration and will

vary from year to year.

ENGR 3370

Controls

Instructor(s): Bingham

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: ENGR 2410 or ENGR 3340

Usually Offered: Spring

This course explores the techniques for chang-

ing the dynamics of a system using feedback

control. The first portion of the course covers

methods for analyzing the open-loop dynamics

of generic systems in the frequency-domain

(transfer functions) and time-domain (state-

space equations). Then we will develop feed-

back techniques for shaping the system

response. Students completing this course will

have the analytical tools for controller design

(both classical and modern) as well as a funda-

mental understanding of the concepts behind

feedback control (stability, performance, con-

trollability, observability, etc.). Students will

have ample opportunity to experiment with

control design by implementing their own

designs in analog and digital hardware.

Examples from field robotics, aircraft, and intel-

ligent-structures will be used for both in-class

and hands-on demonstrations.

ENGR 3380

Design for Manufacturing

Instructor(s): Sabin

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: ENGR 2250

Usually Offered: Spring

This is a project-based course that introduces

the principles of design for manufacturability

and assembly. A variety of manufacturing

processes will be covered with a special

emphasis on injection molding. Students will

design a part for injection molding, design the

tool and then mold the parts in the Olin shop.

A second project will involve the design or

redesign of a product for high-volume manu-

facturing. There will also be case studies where

product designers will visit the class and

discuss one of their designs currently in pro-

duction.

ENGR 3390

Robotics

Instructor(s): Barrett, G. Pratt

Hours: 4-0-8

Usually Offered: Spring

This course is taught much like a graduate

seminar. Topics include perception, sensors,

computer vision, navigation, localization, actua-

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tion, manipulation, mobility (e.g., walk, swim,

roll, crawl, fly), and intelligence (e.g., control,

planning, and mission execution). The course

is built around the review and discussion of

seminal technical papers in the robotics field

with guest lectures both from various Olin fac-

ulty and from external leaders in the robotics

community. The course will also include a proj-

ect component to help solidify key concepts.

ENGR 3410

Computer Architecture

Instructor(s): Chang

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: ICB2

Usually Offered: Fall

This course introduces a broad range of com-

putation structures used in computation, from

logic gates to specialized (e.g. DSP, cellular

automata) as well as general purpose architec-

tures. Design techniques for quantitatively opti-

mizing performance are also taught. Students

build a computer from the ground up.

ENGR 3420

Introduction to Analog and Digital

Communications

Instructor(s): TBA

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: ENGR 2410 or Permission of the

Instructor

Usually Offered: Fall

This course teaches students design tech-

niques for analog and digital communications,

including elementary coding and information

theory. Topics also include modulation

schemes, data compression, error detection

and correction, encryption, transmitter and

receiver design, and routing protocols.

Students build an operative communications

link over an unreliable channel.

ENGR 3425

Analog VLSI

Instructor(s): Minch

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: ENGR 2420

Usually Offered: Alt Fall (odd years)

This course will provide an overview of devices

available to analog integrated circuit designers

in modern complementary metal-oxide-semi-

conductor (CMOS) technologies: resistors,

capacitors, metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS)

transistors, and bipolar junction transistors. It

will cover the transistor-level design of linear

analog integrated-circuit modules, such as

operational amplifiers and operational

transconductance amplifiers as well as layout

techniques for analog integrated circuits.

Students will work in small teams on a series

of projects involving the design of analog inte-

grated circuit modules, culminating in the

design of an analog system of moderate com-

plexity, such as a filter or a data converter.

ENGR 3430

Digital VLSI

Instructor(s): Chang

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: ICB2

Usually Offered: Spring

An introduction to digital CMOS design.

Students will learn design techniques and lay

out their own custom integrated circuit, which

will be fabricated by MOSIS.

ENGR 3440

Modern Sensors

Instructor(s): Somerville

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: ICB2, ENGR 2410

Usually Offered: TBA

Modern topics in sensors, including sensor

fabrication, physics, signal conditioning, and

“smart” sensors. Students will conduct

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research on sensor technologies of their choos-

ing, and implement a sensor system of their

own design.

ENGR 3450

Semiconductor Devices

Instructor(s): TBA

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: ICB2; SCI 1410 or SCI 3110

Usually Offered: TBA

Introduction to semiconductor device fabrica-

tion, operation, and design. Emphasis on

diodes and transistors, with some exploration

of speculative technologies. Students will con-

duct a project of their own choosing involving

either device characterization or device simula-

tion using modern tools.

ENGR 3520

Foundations of Computer Science

ENGR 3520A

Foundations of Computer Science Project

Instructor(s): Stein

Credits: 4 ENGR (ENGR 3520); 2 ENGR (ENGR

3520A)

Hours: 4-0-8 (ENGR 3520); 1-0-5 (ENGR 3520A)

Prerequisites: ENGR 2510

Co-requisites: MTH 2110

Usually Offered: Every 3rd Semester (begin-

ning Fall 04)

This course uses applications as vehicles for

exploring the formal analytic toolkit of the

computer scientist as well as aspects of algo-

rithmic computing and intelligent software

design. The course combines elements of

automata theory, data structures and algo-

rithms, programming languages, artificial

intelligence, information management, and

internet programming. Students may optionally

enroll only in ENGR 3520; these students will

be excused from the programming / project

component of the course. Students wishing to

ENGR 3525

Software Systems

Instructor(s): Downey

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Usually Offered: Every 3rd Semester (begin-

ning Spring 05)

An introduction to the design and implementa-

tion of system-level software, including operat-

ing systems, networks, and databases. Topics

include processes and threads, memory and

storage management, networking and inter-

process communication, scheduling and syn-

chronization.

ENGR 3530

Synchronization

Instructor(s): Downey

Credits: 2 ENGR

Hours: 2-2-2

Usually Offered: Every 3rd Semester (begin-

ning Spring 05)

When multiple programs run at the same time,

they can interact in complex ways, yielding

unpredictable behavior at best and impenetra-

ble bugs at worst. Synchronization is the

process of imposing timing constraints in

order to guarantee the correct execution of

programs. This class presents a series of

synchronization ”puzzles“ and gradually devel-

ops a set of tools for dealing with even the

hairiest synchronization problems.

ENGR 3540

Computational Modeling

Instructor(s): Downey

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: ENGR 2510 or equivalent

Usually Offered: Every 3 Years (beginning Fall

05)

The availability of cheap computation has cre-

ated a new way of understanding the world.

Along with experiment and theory, computa-

tional modeling provides new tools for analy-

sis, explanation and prediction. This class looks

at the history of this revolution and the tech-

nology that underlies it. We will survey a range

of literature, from the skeptical to the exuber-

ant, and make a critical evaluation of this

putative paradigm shift. Students will learn

the skills of computational modeling, with an

emphasis on discrete and stochastic models,

and apply them to problems in a range of

fields including engineering and the natural

and social sciences. Basic programming ability,

in any language, is a prerequisite.

ENGR 3550

Computer Systems and Public Policy

Instructor(s): TBA

Credits: 2 AHS + 2 ENGR

Hours: 4-0-8

Usually Offered: TBA

How do technical decisions influence human

lives? How can engineering solutions change

the terms of public policy debate? Through a

series of case studies, this course looks at

these questions in specific fields where com-

puter technology and public policy intersect. In

questions of privacy, security, safety (including

public health), pornography, intellectual prop-

erty and free speech, developments in comput-

er systems technology either raise or offer

solutions to significant public policy questions.

This course builds ethics and context compe-

tencies and breadth in AHS. It also covers

topics normally found in classes such as

Operating Systems, Databases, Distributed

Systems, Cryptography, Web Computing, and

other Computer Science offerings.

ENGR 3600

Topics in Bioengineering

Instructor(s): Sieminski

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-0-8

Usually Offered: Fall

Broadly, bioengineering can be defined as

the application of engineering concepts and

methods to the solution and study of biological

and medical problems. Using a case study

approach, this course aims to provide students

with a broad understanding of the types of

problems bioengineers explore as well as

the engineering and biological methods they

employ. We will approach topics through semi-

nar-style discussion of current primary articles

from the literature. Topics to be covered

include tissue engineering, use of microfluidics

devices for diagnostics, imaging disease states,

and prosthetic limbs. In order to explore a topic

of particular interest in more depth, students

will also write and orally present a research

paper on a topic of their choice.

ENGR 3610

Biomedical Materials

Instructor(s): Chachra

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: SCI 1210 and SCI 1410, or

Permission of the Instructor

Usually Offered: Fall

The body is a harsh environment for synthetic

materials; not only is it warm, wet, and salty,

but there are enzymes and cells whose func-

tion is to identify and destroy anything foreign.

Conversely, implanted materials can provoke

unexpected responses from biological systems.

This course is an overview of biological inter-

actions with materials, with a special emphasis

on the role of the in vivo milieu on failure in

medical devices. Topics will include coagula-

tion, inflammation, and immune responses

to materials, cell-surface interactions, and the

mechanical interactions of materials and tissue,

together with emerging fields such as drug-

delivery and neuron-silicon interfaces.

Readings will be drawn primarily from the

current literature.

ENGR 3710

Systems

Instructor(s): Bingham, G. Pratt

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: Completion of other E:SYS

requirements or Permission of the Instructor(s)

Usually Offered: Fall

This course introduces students to the art and

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science of interdisciplinary design. Students

analyze the process used to develop example

products that required expertise in many areas

and creativity and trade-off consideration

amongst all. Students learn about overarching

principles that enable creators of broad inter-

disciplinary systems to succeed. Students will

also work in teams and take on roles as design

specialists in a variety of fields. Each team is

given the task to design in detail a hypothetical

product that can succeed only if interdiscipli-

nary creativity is fostered and trade-offs are

made by every team member, as well as the

group as a whole.

ENGR 3810

Structural Biomaterials

Instructor(s): Chachra

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: SCI 1410 and SCI 1210, or

Permission of the Instructor

Usually Offered: Fall

How is a blood vessel like a garden hose?

Why are seashells strong (and beautiful) even

though they are made of chalk? How can your

opaque white tendons be made of the same

material as your transparent corneas? This

course focuses on the materials science of nat-

ural tissues, primarily ones that fill structural

roles, including bone, teeth, tendon, nacre, and

wood, with an emphasis on how they are simi-

lar and different to ‘engineering’ materials.

Additional material may include scaffolds for

tissue engineering, biomimetic materials and

mechanical properties of individual cells.

ENGR 3820

Failure Analysis and Prevention

Instructor(s): Stolk

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: SCI 1410

Usually Offered: Spring

Students will complete projects and case stud-

ies to gain practical experience in the analysis

of fractured and failed engineering materials

and components. The course focus will be on

material microstructure and the micromech-

anisms of fracture, and topics will include fail-

ure analysis methodology, mechanisms of

failure, fracture classifications, corrosion and

environmental factors, fractography, and

design for failure prevention. Students will

learn advanced materials characterization tech-

niques including scanning electron microscopy

(SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS)

and compositional dot mapping, x-ray diffrac-

tion (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spec-

troscopy (FTIR), optical microscopy, and frac-

ture surface sample preparation.

ENGR 3830

Phase Transformations in Ceramic and

Metallic Systems

Instructor(s): Stolk

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-4-4

Prerequisites: SCI 1410

Usually Offered: Fall

How can two brittle ceramics combine to make

a toughened structure? How does a machin-

able steel transform into a high strength cut-

ting tool? What drives solid-state reactions in

powdered materials? Since properties of alloys

and ceramics are largely determined by intrin-

sic material properties and microstructure, an

understanding of phase transformations is

essential for materials design and performance

optimization. This course focuses on the ther-

modynamics and kinetics of phase transforma-

tions in the bulk and at interfaces and surfaces

of multi-component materials systems. Topics

include binary and ternary phase equilibria,

atomic mobility, transformation kinetics, nucle-

ation and growth, heterogeneous reactions,

surface and interfacial energy, diffusional and

diffusionless transformations, phase stability,

and microstructural development. Examples

and laboratory activities highlight fundamental

concepts and reinforce the practical importance

of phase transformations in engineering

ceramics and alloys.

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ENGR 4190

Senior COnsulting Program for

Engineering (SCOPE))

Instructor(s): Staff

Credits: 4 ENGR

Hours: 4-0-8

Co-requisites: must be a senior

Usually Offered: Fall, Spring

This course is a requirement for all Olin sen-

iors. It incorporates formal, team-based, year-

long engineering projects done in conjunction

with 10 to 14 external companies. Each project

will be executed by a single student team, sup-

ported by a dedicated faculty member, in part-

nership with one of these companies. Each stu-

dent team will have between 3 and 8 members

from the senior class. Students may conduct

advanced research, perform market analysis,

develop experimental prototypes, design new

products or redesign existing products in the

execution of this project.

ENGR 4190A

Senior COnsulting Program for

Engineering (SCOPE))

Instructor(s): Staff

Credits: variable 2 or 4

Hours: 2-0-4 (2 credits) or 4-0-8 (4 credits)

Prerequisites: Permission of the Instructor(s)

Usually Offered: Fall and Spring

NOTE: This is a registration option for non-Olin

students.

This course incorporates formal, team-based,

year long engineering projects done in con-

junction with 10 to 14 external companies.

Each project will be executed by a single stu-

dent team, supported by a dedicated faculty

member, in partnership with one of these com-

panies. Each student team will have between 3

and 8 members from the senior class. Students

may conduct advanced research, perform mar-

ket analysis, develop experimental prototypes,

design new products or redesign existing prod-

ucts in the execution of this project.

Machine Shop

MEC 1000

Fundamentals of Machine Shop

Operations

Instructor(s): Anderson

Credits: 4 Non Degree (will not meet degree

requirements)

Hours: 6-0-6

Prerequisites: Preference will be given those

with prior machining and CAD experience

Usually Offered: Fall, Spring

The course focuses on the fundamentals of

machine shop operations, the foundations for

all classical machining techniques. In addition,

we will cover necessary mechanical design ele-

ments and CAD techniques to equip you with

the skills to help other students. No basics will

be skipped! We will cover topics in proper

breadth and depth to ensure that you come

away with a sound understanding of machine

shop safety, bench work, measurement, part

layout, machine setup, operation and mainte-

nance. We will also focus on design techniques

and drawing creation using SolidWorks.

Projects will be assigned to enforce these con-

cepts and also provide many hours of machine

time. There will be incentives to entice you to

work professionally, learn how to interpret and

establish appropriate design requirements and

make parts to specification. Additionally you

will learn how to inspect parts to ensure they

meet specification. Time permitting, there will

be field trips to local establishments to expand

your horizons.

Math

MTH 1110

See ICB1 (top of listings)

MTH 1120

See ICB 2 (top of listings)

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MTH 2110

Discrete Mathematics

Instructor(s): Adams

Credits: 4 MTH

Hours: 4-0-8

Usually Offered: Fall

Topics for this course include combinatorics,

number theory, graph theory, an emphasis on

creative problem solving, and the ability to

read and write rigorous proofs.

MTH 2120

Linear Algebra

Instructor(s): Moody, Adams, Tilley

Credits: 2 MTH

Hours: 2-0-4

Usually Offered: Fall, Spring

An introduction to the fundamental mathemati-

cal techniques and concepts used in solving

linear systems of equations. Topics include

matrices and vectors, Gaussian elimination,

matrix inverses, transposes and factorizations,

column, row, and nullspace of a matrix, rank of

a matrix, determinants, and eigenvalues and

eigenvectors.

MTH 2130

Probability and Statistics

Instructor(s): Moody, Adams, Tilley

Credits: 2 MTH

Hours: 2-0-4

Usually Offered: Fall, Spring

An introduction to probability and statistics,

with applications to science, engineering, and

social science. Topics include discrete and con-

tinuous probability distributions; moments;

conditional probability; Bayes’ Rule; point and

interval estimation; hypothesis testing.

MTH 2140

Differential Equations

Instructor(s): Moody

Credits: 2 MTH

Hours: 2-0-4

Prerequisites: ICB2

Usually Offered: Fall, Spring

An introduction to the solution techniques of

differential equations. Topics include mathe-

matical modeling, solution techniques to linear

and nonlinear first-order differential equations,

characteristic solutions to linear constant coef-

ficient second-order differential equations,

solutions to homogeneous (unforced) and

inhomogeneous (forced) second-order linear

systems. Applications include modeling of

physical systems.

MTH 2160

Introduction to Mathematical Modeling

Instructor(s): Tilley

Credits: 2 MTH

Hours: 2-0-4

Prerequisites: MTH 1110

Usually Offered: Spring

This course centers on the interdependency of

mathematics and on the sciences and engi-

neering. Through this codependency, knowl-

edge of the specific discipline is better under-

stood through the development of a mathemat-

ical description and its solution. Often, these

descriptions are appropriate over a wide range

of disciplines well beyond the original context

of the first problem. Over the seven-week ses-

sion, we look at individual cases in biology,

chemistry, physics, fields of engineering and

business to see how to formulate a mathemati-

cal description, and the techniques used for its

solution. The course follows a case-study for-

mat, with modeling subjects chosen from the

media (for example, the Science Times section

of the

New York Times

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MTH 3120

Partial Differential Equations

Instructor(s): Tilley

Credits: 4 MTH

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: MTH 2120 and MTH 2140

Usually Offered: Fall

An introduction to the solution methods of par-

tial differential equations that arise in describ-

ing a wide variety of problems in engineering,

such as in fluid dynamics, elasticity, electro-

magnetic wave propagation, and transport

phenomena. The course begins with the solu-

tion of boundary-value problems in ordinary

differential equations (Sturm-Liouville theory),

and then develops into the fundamentals of

Fourier analysis and the solutions to the heat,

wave, and Laplace’s equations on finite and

infinite domains. Additional topics will be

addressed at the discretion of the Instructor(s),

examples of which include systems of hyper-

bolic equations, similarity solutions in infinite

domains, or a brief introduction to numerical

solutions.

MTH 3130

Mathematical Analysis

Instructor(s): Moody

Credits: 2 MTH

Hours: 2-0-4

Prerequisites: ICB2

Usually Offered: TBA

An introduction to real analysis; construction

of the real number system; metric spaces and

metric topology; compactness; connectedness;

functions. Emphasis on mathematical rigor,

logic, and proof.

MTH 3140

Error Control Codes

Instructor(s): Adams

Credits: 2 MTH + 2 ENGR

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: MTH 2120 (required), MTH 2110

or another proof-based math class

Usually Offered: Spring

Error-control codes are used to detect and cor-

rect errors that occur when data are transmit-

ted across a noisy channel. This course pro-

vides an introduction to error-control codes,

including linear, cyclic, binary, and non-binary

codes. Mathematics such as modular arith-

metic and introductory ring and field theory

will be introduced and used extensively.

MTH 3150

Numerical Methods and Scientific

Computing

Instructor(s): Tilley

Credits: 4 MTH

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: MTH 2120, MTH 2140

Usually Offered: Spring

The speed of modern computers has allowed

simulation to become a very powerful tool in

the design and analysis of systems in science

and engineering. This power is easily misused

and scientific computing is full of pitfalls. This

course introduces students to methods useful

for accurately simulating complex systems in

the physical sciences and engineering. The first

half of the course focuses on iterative tech-

niques for solving algebraic systems, interpola-

tion of functions, and advanced techniques for

solutions to ordinary differential equations. The

second half of the course focuses on an intro-

duction to solutions to boundary-value prob-

lems and solutions to partial differential equa-

tions, with the students required to choose an

application in science and engineering to solve

in detail.

MTH 3160

Introduction to Complex Variables

Instructor(s): Tilley

Credits: 4 MTH

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: ICB2, MTH 2140

Usually Offered: Fall

This course provides an introduction to the

analysis of functions in the complex plane.

Topics include the Cauchy-Riemann equations,

conformal mapping, Cauchy-Goursat theorem,

Taylor-Laurent series, the residue theorem,

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Nyquist criterion, continuation of analytic

functions, and applications in science and engi-

neering.

MTH 3170

Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos

Instructor(s): Geddes

Credits: 4 MTH

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisite: MTH 2120, MTH 2140

Usually Offered: Spring

This course will focus on the modern theory of

dynamical systems including both discrete and

continuous processes. The course will empha-

size both theory and applications. Theory topics

might include, for example, linear and nonlin-

ear stability theory, periodic solutions, bifurca-

tion theory, chaos, and strange attractors.

Applications discussed might include, for

example, mechanical oscillators and biological

oscillators.

Science

SCI 1110

See ICB 1 (top of listings)

SCI 1120

See ICB 2 (top of listings)

SCI 1210

Principles of Modern Biology

(with laboratory)

Instructor(s): Donis-Keller, J. Pratt

Credits: 4 SCI

Hours: 4-3-5

Usually Offered: Fall, Spring

This course introduces students to the funda-

mental aspects of biological science including

biochemistry, molecular biology, human molec-

ular genetics, and cellular communication.

Students gain experience with contemporary

research methods and scientific reasoning

through laboratory experiments. The relevance

of biology to the environment and health is

emphasized.

SCI 1310

Introduction to Chemistry

(with laboratory)

Instructor(s): TBA

Credits: 4 SCI

Hours: 4-3-5

Usually Offered: Spring

This course introduces students to the funda-

mental aspects of aqueous and solid state

chemistry. Topics include stoichiometry, gas

laws, atomic structure and bonding, atomic

theory, quantum theory, acid/base chemistry,

solubility, electrochemistry, kinetics, thermody-

namics, and reaction equilibria.

SCI 1410

Materials Science and Solid State

Chemistry (with laboratory)

Instructor(s): Chachra, Stolk

Credits: 4 SCI

Hours: 3-3-6

Usually Offered: Fall, Spring

This laboratory-based course introduces stu-

dents to the relationships among structure,

processing, properties, and performance of

solid state materials including metals, ceram-

ics, polymers, composites, and semiconduc-

tors. Topics include atomic structure and bond-

ing, crystallography, diffusion, defects, equilib-

rium, solubility, phase transformations, and

electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties.

Students apply materials science principles in

laboratory projects that emphasize experimen-

tal design and data analysis, examination of

material composition and structure, measure-

ment and modification of material properties,

and selection of materials for engineering

applications.

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SCI 2110

Biological Physics

Instructor(s): Zastavker

Credits: 4 SCI

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: ICBI and ICB2

Usually Offered: TBA

In this course, we will look at life as one of the

many phenomena displayed by the universe in

its evolution, and apply the laws of physics to

understand these phenomena. In doing so,

we will take a “reductionist” or simplified

approach to investigate the big picture; i.e., we

will explore basic biophysical mechanisms that

make various living organisms and biological

assemblies interesting to scientists and useful

for engineers. We will aim to achieve an intu-

itive and a semi-quantitative understanding of

physical phenomena ranging from electrosens-

ing (the ability of some animals to sense exter-

nal electric fields for navigation and the detec-

tion of prey and communication) and obesity

to biomechanics of athlete performance and

scaling theory, which provides us with informa-

tion about beasts we have never seen, for

example, dinosaurs. Based on physical laws,

we will examine diseases ranging from the

cataract of the eye to the formation of gall-

stones in gall bladder bile. In order to gain

knowledge of these various phenomena, we

will systematically investigate the properties

of water, Brownian motion, dynamics and

physiology of fluids, thermodynamics, biome-

chanics and bioenergetics, and the electro-

chemical potential. Although engineers spend

their entire careers solving and optimizing vari-

ous problems, nature has been doing this for

much longer; therefore, a deep understanding

of biophysical processes in nature can yield

unforeseen solutions to countless scientific and

engineering problems. In this course, we will

learn how to learn from nature.

SCI 2120

Biological Thermodynamics

Instructor(s): Zastavker

Credits: 4 SCI

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: ICBI and ICB2

Usually Offered: Spring

This course provides an introduction to the

study of energy transformations in biological

systems as well as thermodynamics and kinet-

ics of structure formation and association of

biomolecules. Topics covered include energy

and its transformation, the First Law of

Thermodynamics, the Second Law of

Thermodynamics, Gibbs Free Energy, statistical

thermodynamics, binding equilibria and reac-

tion kinetics, and a survey of other interesting

areas of biological thermodynamics, particular-

ly the origin of life on Earth. Statistical develop-

ment of entropy and a more extensive cover-

age of chemical kinetics and ligand binding to

macromolecules will provide students with

knowledge of thermodynamics and kinetics

that they will be able to apply to biological

systems and use for research in scientific and

bioengineering fields

SCI 2130 (formerly SCI 3110)

Modern Physics

Instructor(s): Holt

Credits: 4 SCI

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: ICB2

Usually Offered: Fall

Modern Physics is based upon a few funda-

mental ideas that allow the explanation of

phenomena that seem to defy consistency

with traditional (Newtonian) physics. The most

important of these (in the context of engineer-

ing applications) are the principles of quantum

mechanics and statistical mechanics. This

course will introduce the basic concepts of

Modern Physics, with particular application to

atoms, molecules and the materials utilized in

modern electronics.

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

COURSE LISTINGS ■

SCI 2140

Relativity

Instructor(s): Holt

Credits: 2 SCI

Hours: 2-0-4

Prerequisities: ICB1

Usually Offered: Spring, odd years

When it was first introduced, Einstein’s Special

Theory of Relativity rocked the foundations of

classical physics with a plethora of “paradox-

es” that included twins who could have differ-

ent biological ages. Like swimming, special

relativity can be completely understood with-

out formal physics prerequisites, and this

course will be taught from first principles that

do not require any specialized physics knowl-

edge. This approach will naturally lead to an

introduction of General Relativity, including

some characteristics of Black Holes.

SCI 2210

Immunology

Instructor: J. Pratt

Credits: 4 SCI

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: SCI 1210 or equivalent

Usually Offered: Fall

Immunology is a relatively new science, and

our understanding of our immune system is

evolving at a rapid pace. When the immune

system functions properly, infectious

pathogens and potential cancer cells are

destroyed. When our immune system malfunc-

tions, normally harmless microorganisms can

cause serious infections, autoimmune diseases

or allergies can develop and cancer cells

can evade immune surveillance and grow

unchecked. In this lecture and discussion-based

class, we will investigate the molecular and

cellular mechanisms that control our immune

responses. Current research in immunology

will be emphasized through analysis of primary

literature and media articles.

SCI 2320

Organic Chemistry (with laboratory)

Instructor(s): TBA

Credits: 4 SCI

Hours: 4-3-5

Usually Offered: Fall

An introduction to the fundamentals of organic

chemistry with an emphasis on applications

in biology, biotechnology, synthetic polymers,

and the environment. Topics include structure

and bonding in organic compounds; chemical

and physical properties of organic molecules

and bulk organic materials; reaction mecha-

nisms and kinetics; structure-reactivity relation-

ships; chemical and physical transformations;

synthesis of organic molecules; and characteri-

zation techniques. It is strongly suggested that

students who intend to take SCI 2320 first take

Introduction to Chemistry, or an equivalent col-

lege level course.

SCI 3120

Solid State Physics

Instructor(s): Christianson

Credits: 4 SCI

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisite: SCI 2130

Usually Offered: Alt Spring (odd-years)

Why do metals conduct heat well while insula-

tors do not? Why is silicon a better semicon-

ductor than diamond, even though they have

the same structure? Why is lead a good super-

conductor at low temperature, while copper is

not? We will explore the current understanding

of insulators, metals, semiconductors and

superconductors through some of the basic

tools of solid state physics, and will learn how

to apply these tools to the novel materials

being developed today.

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ COURSE LISTINGS

SCI 3130

Advanced Classical Mechanics

Instructor(s): Zastavker

Credits: 4 SCI

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisite: ICB2, MTH 2120, MTH 2140

Usually Offered: Alt Fall (even years)

Classical mechanics revisited with the use of

mathematical formulation that makes the “old

and dusty” Newton’s laws shine in all their

beauty. Using differential equations and linear

algebra tools, we will venture to look at things

only hinted at in introductory physics: varia-

tional principles, the two-body problem,

motion in accelerated frames, rigid body

dynamics, oscillations, Lagrangian and

Hamiltonian mechanics, continuum mechanics,

nonlinear dynamics, and chaos.

SCI 3210

Molecular Genetics in the Age of

Genomics

Instructor(s): Donis-Keller

Credits: 4 SCI

Hours: 4-0-8

Prerequisites: SCI1210 (Olin); BISC219

(Wellesley); or Permission of the Instructor(s)

Usually Offered: Fall

It is now understood that many, if not the

majority, of human disorders, including can-

cers, have an underlying genetic component. In

this modern age of healthcare, we are expected

to choose amongst an array of therapeutic

options for ourselves and for our children

rather than respond to specific directives from

the medical establishment. In addition, we are

called upon as voting citizens to make ethical

decisions, e.g. the appropriateness of stem cell

cloning. Therefore, it is in the interest of each

person to learn more than the fundamentals of

biology and genetics in order to make educat-

ed choices. In this course we will be concerned

with the traditional concepts of human genetics

including pedigree analysis, linkage mapping,

Mendelian, multi-locus and complex traits, and

genetic testing. However, for the most part, the

course will view human genetics through a

molecular lens. For example, the molecular

basis of pathological conditions such as

Huntington’s disease, hypercholesterolemia,

Fragile-X and others will be examined in detail,

as will gene imprinting and imprinting-related

abnormalities (e.g. Angelman and Prader-Willi

syndromes). Comparative genomics will be

applied to the study of heritable traits in

humans. The structure, function, and evolution

of the sex chromosomes will also receive spe-

cial attention. Gene therapy, cloning (stem cell,

germ line) and the associated ethical issues

will be considered in some depth. Students

who are interested in bioengineering or med-

ical school should find this course useful as

well as those who have a general interest in

the human as an organism.

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

COURSE LISTINGS ■

Academic Policies

Academic

Policies

One of Olin’s highest priorities is the well being

of its students, and Olin recognizes that indi-

vidual circumstances often call for individual

approaches. Olin’s faculty, staff, and adminis-

tration will always attempt to do what is right,

regardless of the formal rule. The following

policies will help to ensure that students are

treated fairly.

Attendance Policy

Students are expected to attend all classes at

Olin. Each instructor will establish and publish

the class attendance policies for reporting

anticipated absences and making up missed

work, including lab experiences and project

work. The Dean of Student Life will grant

exceptions for illness, religious observance, or

other reasons deemed appropriate.

Olin Exposition

The Olin Exposition is a public event at the end

of each semester where students present aca-

demic and non-academic work to an audience

that includes the entire Olin community and

external visitors. It is an opportunity for stu-

dents to reflect on the semester, celebrate their

achievements and share them with others,

practice communication skills, and demon-

strate their activities and abilities. Expo is an

opportunity for people outside the college to

see what Olin students can do, and it is an

important way of involving external constituen-

cies in the activities of the school. Faculty, staff,

students and external visitors are asked to

evaluate student presentations as a way of

helping students improve and also as a way of

evaluating our programs.

Normally all registered students are required to

participate in Expo, both as presenters and as

evaluators. Students who cannot attend Expo

for any reason should petition the Dean of

Student Life as early as possible for an excused

absence. Failure to participate in Expo is noted

by the faculty Expo Coordinator. Persistent fail-

ure to participate without an excused absence

may be considered a violation of the Honor

Code, particularly regarding Passion for the

Welfare of the College.

Definition of Full-Time Status

Enrollment at Olin College is for full-time study

in engineering. Students are expected to follow

the curriculum design for each class year and

carry a usual load of 16 degree credits. The

definition of full-time study is a minimum of 12

attempted degree credits each semester and a

maximum of 20 attempted degree credits each

semester. Part-time study is generally not avail-

able at Olin College; however, special cases

will be considered by the Assistant Dean of

Student Life for Advising.

Course Overload Policy

Olin students may register for a maximum of

20 credits each semester. The maximum load

of 20 credits is a total of degree and non-

degree activities. In exceptional circumstances,

students may petition the Committee on

Student Academic Performance (COSAP), with

the consent of their adviser, for approval of a

course overload. This reflects Olin’s commit-

ment to reasonable expectations. Non-degree

credits result from Passionate Pursuits. First-

year, first-semester students are limited to tak-

ing a maximum of 18 credits. This typically rep-

resents sixteen credits of standard first-year

curriculum and an optional two credit

Introductory Programming course.

Class Standing

Class standing is determined by the number of

degree credits a student has earned in relation

to the 120 required for graduation. The follow-

ing table is a breakdown of earned degree

credits and their corresponding class year and

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

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represents a reasonable expectation of

progress toward a degree over four years.

Class Earned Degree Credits

First-Year 0–30

Sophomore 31–60

Junior 61–90

Senior > 90

Declaration of Major/Change of

Major

Students are expected to declare their major

no later than the time of registration for the

fourth semester. Major declaration forms are

available at the Student Accounts and Records

Center (StAR) website (http://star.olin.edu) and

must be signed by the student and his or her

adviser. Students declaring the Engineering

major must also complete and submit a course

plan form at the same time. The instructions

and form can also be found on the StAR

website.

Change of majors can be submitted using a

declaration of major form and a course plan

form (if appropriate). Students that change

their major should be aware of their remaining

degree requirements. Additionally, they are

responsible for tuition, room/board and fees for

any semesters beyond the eight covered by the

Olin scholarship.

Registration

Prior to each semester, there will be a designat-

ed registration period in which students will

speak with their adviser and make choices for

course selection. Registration is done on-line.

Instructions are available each semester in the

published registration booklets.

Cross-Registration Policy

Olin has cross-registration agreements with

Babson College, Brandeis University, and

Wellesley College (the BBW schools). These

agreements increase the academic offerings

available to Olin students in the natural and

mathematical sciences, arts, humanities, social

sciences and business. Olin students, with the

exception of first-semester, first-year students,

are permitted to enroll for one course each

semester at each of the BBW schools, subject

to the continuation of the cross-registration

agreements. Taking a course at a BBW school

will count toward a student’s total degree cred-

it load at Olin. Normally, Olin students are not

permitted to take courses at BBW schools

which would substantially duplicate the con-

tent of a course or set of courses available at

Olin, but may petition the Course Substitution

and Transfer Board (CSTB) for an exception to

this rule. With prior approval from the CSTB,

students may use courses taken at the BBW

schools to satisfy general course requirements,

distribution requirements, and program-

specific course requirements.

Students are responsible for all deadlines and

registration procedures related to the host

school. Information regarding procedures for

cross-registration is provided in the semesters’

registration booklet.

Note: Due to the variation

of grading deadlines at BBW schools, seniors

are strongly encouraged not to cross-register

during their final semester at Olin.

The Add Period

During the first 10 instructional days of a

semester, a student may alter her or his sched-

ule by adding and/or dropping courses with

approval from her or his adviser and the appro-

priate instructing faculty. Requests for changes

must be made during the 10-day period.

Students are responsible for submitting their

request electronically or in person at the

Student Accounts and Records Center no later

than the 10th class day. Courses cannot be

added after the 10th class day. Special circum-

stances may be granted for BBW-sponsored

courses when there is a variation in the aca-

demic calendars.

The Drop Period

After the Add Period, a student may decide to

drop a course from his or her schedule without

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■ ACADEMIC POLICIES

penalty as long as he or she maintains a mini-

mum of 12 degree credits. The drop date is the

45th instructional day of the semester

Course Withdrawal

Students may not withdraw from courses

within the Integrated Course Blocks during

their first year at Olin. Students may withdraw

from other courses up through the last day of

instruction in the semester. To withdraw from

a course, students need written approval from

her or his adviser and the appropriate instruct-

ing faculty. Students must then process the

course withdrawal at the Student Accounts and

Records Center. A grade of Withdrawn (W)

will be entered for the course and will not

affect the grade point average. Credits attempt-

ed will be noted, but course credit will not be

earned. Students are responsible for meeting

with their adviser to determine how the credits,

and/or requirement will be completed in the

future.

Olin students cross-registered at one of the

BBW schools must follow the academic policy

on course withdrawals for the host school.

Half-Semester Courses

The Add, Drop and Course Withdrawal periods

are prorated for half semester courses. The

Add Period is the first five days of the semes-

ter. The Drop Period is 10 days prior to the last

day of instruction. Course withdrawals can be

done up through the last instructional day of

the half-semester course.

Grading at Olin

Philosophy

Standards-based Grading: Course grading at

Olin will be based on student progress toward

defined course goals. Summary metrics (e.g.,

GPA) will be provided on the student’s tran-

script, but relative summary metrics (e.g., class

rank) are neither published nor tabulated. The

Dean of Faculty will annually conduct a review

of grade distributions and grading procedures.

Grading Rules and Regulations

1. Privacy: Olin will not publicly post either

grades or summary metrics (e.g., GPAs) in any

form that allows identification of any particular

individual’s performance. It is expected that

students will respect the privacy of each other’s

grades.

2. Grading Clarity Requirements: On the first

day of instruction, each Olin class will publish

the following information:

a. Learning Objectives that specify the

knowledge, skills, and attitudes that stu-

dents are expected to develop or attain in

the class. The learning objectives should

be an effective instrument for students to

understand what they will learn and how

their learning will be evaluated.

b. Grading Criteria that specify how the final

course grade is determined. Some

aspects of grading are necessarily based

on the professional judgment of instruc-

tors, informed by their experience, and

are subjective.

3. Feedback: Olin expects instructors to pro-

vide students with feedback on their perform-

ance. If an instructor feels a student will not

pass a course, or if the instructor is otherwise

concerned about a student’s performance, she

or he will issue an academic deficiency notice

in a timely manner. Copies of this notice will be

sent to the student, the student’s faculty advis-

er, and the Assistant Dean of Student Life for

Advising.

4. End of Semester Feedback to the Adviser:

Olin advisers have real-time access to advisee’s

course grades through the Student Information

System. In addition, instructors will notify

advisers of any significant concerns noted dur-

ing the semester.

5. Pass/No Record First Semester: In the first-

semester, first-year, Olin instructors may report

the student’s grade to the student and to the

adviser, but will report only a grade of Pass (P)

or No Record (NR) to the Registrar. A grade of

No Record does not affect the student’s GPA. In

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

ACADEMIC POLICIES ■

subsequent semesters, Olin instructors will

report the student’s final course grade, accord-

ing to the scale outlined below, to the

Registrar.

6. Course Grades: Course grades at Olin pro-

vide students, their advisers, potential employ-

ers and graduate schools information about

overall performance. Course grades are deter-

mined based upon a mix of demonstrated

comprehension, skill, participation, and effort.

7. Grading Scale: The Olin College grading

scheme contains letter grades with a resulting

grade point average (GPA) on a four-point

scale. Students will be assessed using the fol-

lowing interpretation:

Grade Assessment Point

Description Value

A Excellent 4.0

A- 3.7

B+ 3.3

B Good 3.0

B- 2.7

C+ 2.3

C Fair 2.0

C- 1.7

D+ 1.3

D Poor 1.0

F Failing 0.0

I Incomplete (temporary grade) n/a

IF Incomplete Failing 0.0

IL Incomplete / Leave of Absence

(temporary grade) n/a

IP In Progress (temporary grade)

L/NR Leave/No Record n/a

No Credit for Pass/No Credit Option

n/a

NR No Record n/a

P Pass n/a

R Course Repeated n/a

TR Transfer Credit n/a

W Withdrew from Course n/a

8. Grade Replacement: If a student successfully

achieves remediation of an eligible course (see

Remediation in the ICBs), the course grade will

be changed. The grade given as a result of

remediation activities may be a Pass (P) for a

first-year, first-semester course remediation

or no higher than a C for other course remedia-

tion.

9. Repeated Courses: If a student retakes a

course as part of remediation, the original

attempted course will show a grade of Course

Repeated (R). If a student retakes a course that

is not part of remediation, the original grade

will remain, but will not be factored into the

student’s GPA. In both scenarios, the new

grade or transfer credit will appear on the

transcript in the semester in which the course

was retaken.

10. Minimally Sufficient Grades: A grade of D

or Pass is sufficient to earn credit for a course.

A grade of D is sufficient to satisfy a course

requirement.

A grade of C- or Pass is sufficient to satisfy a

prerequisite requirement.

11. Pass/No Credit: Up to 12 credits of a stu-

dent’s distribution requirements may be satis-

fied by taking classes that are usually offered

for grades as Pass/No Credit. In such cases, a

Pass is given for performance equivalent to a

grade of C- or higher. Courses taken Pass/No

Credit may not be used to meet course require-

ments unless the course is not offered for

grades (e.g. first-semester first-year P/NR

courses).

Courses that are only offered Pass/No Credit,

Independent Study and Research do not count

toward the 12 credit limit. Students must

declare their Pass/No Credit grading option by

the drop date of each semester. The Pass/No

Credit option does not impact the GPA; either

Pass or No Credit will appear on the transcript.

Once a student decides to take a course

Pass/No Credit, he or she cannot revert back to

receive a letter grade.

12. Passionate Pursuits (including Research as

Passionate Pursuit): Passionate Pursuits are

non-degree credit, and will be listed on the

transcript if the nature of the activity and the

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ ACADEMIC POLICIES

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

ACADEMIC POLICIES ■

level of completion are sufficient to merit cred-

it. In exceptional cases, the faculty supervisor

may include an official letter of commendation

in the student’s file. This commendation letter

will be available to external parties.

13. The Olin Transcript: A student’s academic

transcript at Olin includes the following infor-

mation:

a. A list of classes the student took in each

semester, and a record of the student’s

final grades in those classes. First-semes-

ter first-year transcripts will show only

classes that were passed. Classes taken

Pass/No Credit after the first year appear

either as a Pass or as a No Credit

b. The student’s GPA.

c. A list of non-degree activities taken each

semester with a cumulative total of credits

earned. There are no grades associated

with non-degree activities.

d. Co-Curricular offerings in which the spon-

soring staff or faculty member reported

sufficient student participation for a tran-

script notation.

4. Grading and Credits of Cross-registered

Courses: Olin students who take a course at

Babson, Brandeis, or Wellesley (the BBW

schools) will receive credit for the course if

they receive a passing grade. The grade will

be recorded on their transcript and be factored

into their grade point average. Credits from

these schools will be counted on a one for one

basis at Olin. For example, if a three credit

course is taken at Babson, it will count as three

Olin credits. A one unit Brandeis or Wellesley

course is equal to four Olin credits. Courses

that use other accounting schemes may be

translated into equivalent Olin credits rounded

to the closest whole number.

Honor Code

It is expected that students will behave with

integrity and according to the Honor Code.

Incomplete Policy

In extenuating circumstances, a student may

request an Incomplete (I) grade by petitioning

the Dean of Student Life. If an Incomplete

grade is approved, the student will be granted

an extension period to complete the course-

work. The length of the extension will be

determined by the Dean of Student Life but will

not end later than the end of the subsequent

semester. A grade of I will be listed as a

temporary grade and will not affect the grade

point average. If the work is not completed

by the end of the subsequent semester, the

incomplete grade of I will be changed to IF,

Incomplete Failing, or an alternate grade upon

approval of the instructor and the Dean of

Faculty. An IF grade does affect a grade point

average. Incompletes may not be used for

remediation purposes.

An Incomplete is generally approved only

when some specific event or illness prevents

the student from completing a specific part of

the course (such as completing a paper, project

or exam.) An Incomplete will not be approved

in instances where a student is demonstrating

an overall difficulty covering or understanding

the course materials and appears to need more

time or additional instruction to learn the mate-

rial. If such general difficulty occurs in one of

the first-year ICB courses, the student should

attempt to complete the course. If the student

receives a NR in the first semester or a D+ or

below in subsequent semesters, he or she will

proceed according to the remediation policy

(see below). For all other courses, the student

should discuss available options with his or her

course instructor and adviser.

Extra Help

For all courses, faculty members provide extra

help for students as appropriate. In addition,

individual tutors are assigned by the Office of

Student Life. Students who feel that individual

tutoring would be helpful to them should

contact the Assistant Dean of Student Life for

Advising as early in the semester as the need

becomes apparent.

Remediation in the ICBs

For Integrated Course Block (ICB) courses in

the first year, Olin provides a remediation sys-

tem. The objective of remediation is to allow

students to keep pace academically with their

peers in the first year.

As the need becomes apparent, ICB faculty

members work with students to develop a

remediation policy specific to the courses they

are teaching. At the discretion of the faculty

member, students may be allowed to retake a

test, rewrite a paper, or redo other projects or

assignments. Students may get remedial assis-

tance from faculty, peer tutors or individual

tutors.

The ICB is a graduation requirement so a grade

of NR or F must be remediated. In addition, the

ICB courses are prerequisites for many other

courses at Olin, so a grade of D or D+ must be

remediated, although a student may be

allowed to go on while remediation is pending.

There are three ways a student can remediate:

Remediation exam: A student may study inde-

pendently and pass a written or oral remedia-

tion exam. The student may attempt this exam

only once, either at the beginning or the end of

the semester following the original course peri-

od. The remediation exam will be prepared and

evaluated by the original faculty member who

taught the student’s Physics, Math or

Engineering component of the ICB. Assistance

in preparing for the exam is available from des-

ignated peer tutors for Physics, Math and

Engineering.

Remediation at another institution: With prior

approval of the Course Substitution and

Transfer Board (CSTB), students may remediate

by taking a class at another institution (but not

at one of the BBW schools). The CSTB will

work with the Committee on Student Academic

Performance (COSAP) to determine the grade

required for remediation at another institution.

Retake the course: If a student does not suc-

cessfully remediate the course before it is next

offered, the student will be required to retake

and pass the failed component(s) of the ICB at

its subsequent offering.

Students successfully remediating through one

of these three options will have their original

grade replaced on their transcript. For letter

graded courses, the remediated grade can be

no higher than a C.

Grade Change Policy

Dispute of a Grade

Students wishing to dispute a grade should

first have a discussion with the instructing fac-

ulty member. If the student and faculty are in

disagreement after the discussion, the student

may appeal to the Dean of Faculty. The Dean of

Faculty will meet with the student within 14

days of the appeal and will solicit a statement

from the faculty member. Following this

process, the Dean of Faculty will review the

case and submit a recommendation to the fac-

ulty member. The faculty member will then

make a final decision, in consultation with the

Dean of Faculty.

After one calendar year (from the end of the

original grading period), all grades are final.

This applies to clerical errors, grade disputes,

remediation, and the grade replacement policy.

All grade changes must be made in writing and

signed by the Dean of Faculty.

Final Exam Policy for Excused

Absences

Students who are unable to take their final

exams for legitimate reasons and wish to

request a make-up exam generally must obtain

advance authorization from the instructing fac-

ulty members and the Office of Student Life. In

the event that advanced authorization cannot

be obtained due to extenuating circumstances,

students should contact the Office of Student

Life and the instructor(s) as soon as they are

able. If the exam is not completed prior to

the end of the grading period, a grade of

Incomplete, I, will be recorded on the student

record. An incomplete grade is a temporary

grade that does not affect a grade point aver-

age.

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Academic Recommendation Board

The Academic Recommendation Board (ARB)

has the responsibility to foster change and act

as a steward of the curriculum. The ARB regu-

larly reviews the curricular structure and

course options and reviews and authorizes

changes in degree requirements. Students may

petition ARB if they need to apply for an excep-

tion to graduation requirements.

Course Substitution and Transfer

Board

The Course Substitution and Transfer Board

(CSTB) is a subcommittee of the ARB and has

the responsibility of awarding Olin credit for

classes taken at another institution. There are

three cases where a student can take a class

at another institution and get credit toward an

Olin degree: cross-registration at Babson,

Brandeis or Wellesley, classes taken during a

Study Away experience, and classes taken at

another institution during the summer, during

a leave from Olin, or before enrolling at Olin.

The CSTB also determines what distribution

and course requirements a non-Olin course

can count for. Many courses at the BBW

schools have been pre-approved; a list of

these courses is posted on the ARB website

(http://arb.olin.edu). Prior to taking a non-Olin

class not on the pre-approval list, students

should request permission from the CSTB to

count this class toward satisfying a distribution

or course requirement.

Committee on Student Academic

Performance

The Committee on Student Academic

Performance is charged by the Dean of Student

Life and is empowered to review, interpret, and

propose academic performance policies. This

committee considers petitions to waive exist-

ing academic performance regulations and acts

as an appellate body for students with academ-

ic performance grievances. The committee also

examines the records of students who are not

making satisfactory progress toward a degree.

This committee is chaired by the Dean of

Student Life or the Dean’s designee (non-vot-

ing, except in the case of a tie) and consists of

the Registrar (non-voting), the Assistant Dean

of Student Life for Advising, and three faculty

members. Students wishing to appeal a deci-

sion on policy must submit their appeal to the

Registrar within one week of the original deci-

sion.

Students should petition COSAP if they want to

exceed the approved maximum credits in any

given semester.

Student Academic Performance

The Committee on Student Academic

Performance uses the following guidelines in

determining the academic status of students.

Students not in Good Academic Standing will

be placed on probation. Students not in Good

Academic Standing for two consecutive semes-

ters will be reviewed by the committee and

may be required to withdraw. The committee

may consider extenuating circumstances in

applying these general guidelines.

Qualitative Measure of Academic Performance:

Student’s First Semester: Good Academic

Standing is defined as receiving Pass grades in

all courses by the start of the second semester.

Subsequent Semesters: Good Academic

Standing is defined as having a minimum

cumulative grade point average of 2.00 by the

end of the semester.

Quantitative Measure of Academic

Performance:

In order to complete the degree in four years

(eight semesters), each student will normally

take 16 credits (four courses) per semester.

Olin College expects students to make reason-

able progress toward their degree each semes-

ter. As a result, to remain in good standing a

student must complete a minimum of 12

degree credits each semester. The Committee

on Student Academic Performance will review

this quantitative measure in addition to the

qualitative measure of a minimum grade point

average.

Academic Readmission

In making decisions on readmission petitions,

the Committee on Student Academic

Performance (COSAP) will expect the former

student to produce timely evidence of good

academic performance in college courses com-

parable to Olin courses, employment and/or

community service references, and a formal

statement explaining changes that will con-

tribute to their academic success at Olin. Credit

for courses taken elsewhere while a student is

withdrawn from Olin will be transferable to

Olin only if approval is obtained from the

CSTB prior to enrollment in each course.

Program Group Recommendations

The Program Groups (ECE, ME, E) will periodi-

cally review the progress of every student with

a declared major. The program groups will

work with students and their faculty adviser if

performance in program-specific course

requirements is unsatisfactory or if trends indi-

cate that such performance may become unsat-

isfactory.

College Withdrawal Policy

Students may wish to leave Olin College prior

to completing their degree. Such a decision

may be difficult to make. Therefore, we encour-

age students to discuss the situation with their

faculty adviser and the Assistant Dean of

Student Life for Advising. A student should

consider whether a Leave of Absence might

provide a more suitable means for them to

address the underlying circumstances for the

withdrawal. The student’s decision to withdraw

indicates she or he does not intend to return. If

a student needs a leave of absence, she or he

should follow the procedures described below

for requesting a leave. Dropping all registered

courses does not automatically result in an offi-

cial withdrawal from the college.

Voluntary Withdrawal

A student can voluntarily withdraw from Olin

College. The student must file a College

Withdrawal Form with the Assistant Dean of

Student Life for Advising. Withdrawing for non-

medical reasons during a semester will yield

grades of W, Withdrew, on the student’s aca-

demic record. If Voluntary Withdrawal occurs

after the last instructional day of the semester,

grades from that semester will appear on the

transcript.

Medical Withdrawal

Students who need to withdraw from Olin

College for medical reasons should complete a

College Withdrawal Form with the Assistant

Dean of Student Life for Advising. If a student

intends to return to the College, he or she

should follow the procedure outlined in the

Leave of Absence policy. Medical Withdrawals

during a semester (i.e., by the last instructional

day of a semester) will result in deletion of the

semester’s registration from the student’s

record. Students may be entitled in these cir-

cumstances to a full or partial refund of certain

expenses and fees according to the guidelines

of the College’s refund policy. Medical docu-

mentation may be required to complete the

process.

Required Withdrawal

At times, the college may require a student to

withdraw from Olin College for academic or

other reasons. Students who are required to

withdraw may not reenroll at Olin without

approval from the Office of Student Life.

Leave of Absence Policy

A student may request a leave of absence for

up to 180 days in any 12-month period.

To initiate a leave of absence, a student should

meet with his or her adviser and complete a

Leave of Absence Form. The request is then

forwarded to the Assistant Dean of Student Life

for Advising for approval. Documentation of

the reason for the leave of absence (medical

or otherwise) should accompany the student’s

request for a leave. The request, when

approved, and any accompanying documenta-

tion will be forwarded to the Registrar for pro-

cessing and placed in the student’s academic

file.

In the event a Leave of Absence is approved,

the student’s status will be noted as “On

Leave.” If a leave is not approved, students

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have the right to appeal the decision to the

Dean of Student Life within two weeks of the

date of the denial of leave. There are two kinds

of leaves:

1. A Leave of Absence Mid Semester: This type

of leave is requested when a semester is in

active session*. In this case, all courses for

which the student is registered will be tem-

porarily designated as Incomplete/Leave of

Absence (IL). Any course that is not subse-

quently completed will then be changed to a

grade of Leave/No Record (L/NR) and will be

recorded internally for that course.

Incomplete/Leave of Absence and Leave/No

Record grades do not affect the student’s grade

point average. The effective date of this leave

is the approval date of the leave.

Incomplete/Leave of Absence grades must be

completed no later than 90 days after the stu-

dent’s return date, or at another date deter-

mined by the faculty member and adviser.

2. A Leave of Absence Between Semesters:

This type of leave is requested when a semes-

ter is not in active session and there is a cir-

cumstance that impacts the student’s ability to

continue in the next semester. In this type of

leave, there are no grade entries made. The

student’s schedule for the ensuing semester

will be deleted. The student will be placed on

leave effective the first day of the upcoming

semester for up to 180 days in any 12-month

period.

If a student does not return from a leave of

absence, the student will be withdrawn from

the college as of the date of expected return.

All Incomplete/Leave of Absence grades will be

changed to Leave/No Record.

Return from Leave or Withdrawal

Students wishing to return from a leave of

absence or voluntary withdrawal, leave of

absence or medical withdrawal from the col-

lege should contact the Office of Student Life.

Study Away Program

One of the founding principles of Olin College

was that each student should have the oppor-

tunity to have a learning experience “away”

from the College. This ideal was articulated

early in the creation of the college with the

expressed objective of having students learn to

be citizens of the world. The Olin Away

Program was created to deliver on this princi-

ple, and provide students with the opportunity

to broaden their perspective and views of the

world.

Students in their junior year can choose

between three types of away experiences: a

Direct Exchange Program, a Pre-Approved

Program, or a Student-Designed Program.

For additional information please visit:

http://awayprograms.olin.edu

Transfer Credit

Olin College generally does not accept transfer

credit for incoming students, but the Course

Substitution and Transfer Board (CSTB) may

grant exceptions on a case by case basis for

incoming students who have demonstrated

strong performance in rigorous courses taken

at accredited institutions.

Enrolled students wishing to take a course at

another college and transfer the credits to

Olin must obtain prior approval from the CSTB.

A student will need to provide detailed infor-

mation about the course including, but not lim-

ited to, a course description and syllabus.

Pre-approval forms can be found at:

http://star.olin.edu

The CSTB will ask appropriate faculty to review

the course materials before granting approval

and determine the minimum grade standard

for transfer of the specific course. If approved,

the CSTB will notify the student in writing.

Once the course is completed, it is the student’s

responsibility to have an official transcript sent

to Olin College. Provided the student meets the

minimum grade requirement for transfer, the

course and the credits will appear on the

student’s Olin transcript. The grade does not

transfer. The Olin College curriculum is for

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* This active session does not include the

study or final exam period. If a student has an

unexpected event that impacts his or her ability

to take a final exam, he or she should refer to

the Final Exam Policy for Excused Absences.

eight full semesters. Transfer credit does not

imply that a student is able to finish his or her

degree in less than eight semesters.

In order to receive a degree from Olin, students

must earn at least 60 of their credits from Olin

or BBW courses.

AP Exams and Advanced Study

Olin College does not accept AP Exam credit

for incoming students. Olin College does, how-

ever, recognize that many students enter Olin

with a strong background in mathematics and

physics. First-year students may take a place-

ment exam in the subjects of the first-year

mathematics or physics courses during orienta-

tion. Placement exams at Olin are calibrated to

a high standard.

Special Accommodations Policy

It is Olin College’s policy to comply fully with

all state and federal disability laws. Olin does

not discriminate against applicants or students

with disabilities, and will consider modification

to academic programs where necessary to

ensure that our requirements are not discrimi-

natory, as long as the modifications do not fun-

damentally alter the nature of our programs.

The Office of Student Life coordinates services

for students with learning disabilities, sensory

impairments, psychological disabilities, and

medical conditions. Students are responsible

for identifying themselves to the Assistant

Dean of Student Life for Advising and provid-

ing appropriate documentation of their disabili-

ty and need for accommodation in a timely

manner. Students requesting accommodation

should contact the Assistant Dean of Student

Life for Advising as soon as possible after

matriculation. Services for students with learn-

ing disabilities may include, but are not limited

to, academic accommodations, coaching on

organizational and time management skills,

faculty notification, and academic advising.

Services for students with physical, sensory, or

psychological impairments as well as medical

conditions may include, but are not limited to,

academic accommodations, assistance with

adaptive technology, accessibility accommoda-

tions, and academic advising. Any specific

modifications granted will be based on detailed

discussions with each student about their par-

ticular situation, and on information from a

medical care provider concerning the student’s

disability and related needs.

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Student Life

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STUDENT LIFE ■

Student Life

Overview

The first few classes at Olin

College have the rare ability

to help create the campus cul-

ture. Each student has the

chance to make a real impact

on the direction of programs,

available opportunities and

the overall atmosphere of the

new college.

While still new, Olin already

offers the support, flexibility

and services students need

for a successful, well-rounded

college career — from a wide-

range of clubs and activities

to academic advising and

health services.

The Office of Student Life also

takes student development

one step further with the Olin

College Learning Continuum.

While nearly every college in

America offers academic

courses and student organiza-

tions, seldom is much thought

given to the unstructured

zone between the curriculum

and extra-curriculum, or the

connections between them. At

Olin, we have given this zone

a lot of thought.

The Olin College Learning

Continuum consists of courses, undergraduate

research opportunities with faculty, non-degree

credit Passionate Pursuits, transcript noted

co-curricular offerings, community service,

committee work or other service to the college,

clubs and organizations, and recreation. The

Office of Student Life staff encourages student

participation along the full range of opportuni-

ties in the Learning Continuum and works to

foster connections among the elements on the

continuum.

Honor Code

A fundamental element of Olin’s culture is

trust. As such, our Honor Code requires all

members of the Olin community to conduct

themselves with honor and integrity. The code,

drawn from a few core values, consists of a

small set of intentionally broad standards by

which every action must be measured. While a

small number of policies illuminate Olin’s prin-

ciples, students live by the core values embed-

ded in the code. To read the full code, visit the

student life page of the Olin website,

http://www.olin.edu/student_life/.

Passionate Pursuits

A Passionate Pursuit is an activity in which stu-

dents propose a semester-long project, solicit

faculty participation, and establish objectives

(i.e. learning goals, type of deliverable) that

constitute satisfactory completion of the pur-

suit. In order to earn non-degree credit for a

Passionate Pursuit, students must submit a

credit proposal and give a faculty-assessed

presentation or performance at the conclusion

of the activity. Funding is available via the

Office of Student Life.

Co-Curriculars

Co-curricular offerings are non-credit activities

combining fun and intellectual awareness.

They are scheduled for a limited time (e.g. one

semester), are led by a staff or faculty member

or by a student working in concert with a facul-

ty or staff member, and are funded by the

Office of Student Life. They differ from curricu-

lar offerings in that they are not graded and

attendance is not strictly enforced. They differ

from extra-curricular activities in that they have

an intellectual component, faculty/staff leader-

ship, and limited lifespan. Examples of recent

co-curricular offerings include: Advanced

Theoretical Zymurgy, Conversations about the

Law, Current Events Table, FoodLab, Gender

and Engineering, Latin Dance, Metal Casting,

Play with Clay, Puzzling and Trivial

Phenomenon, Science Fiction Book Club, and

Whose Improv Is It Anyway?

Academic Advising

Coursework and advising are different aspects

of the same process — developing a well-edu-

cated person. Olin College views advising as a

central role of our faculty. Students’ relation-

ships with their advisers are among the most

important ones they will establish here and can

have a significant impact on their Olin educa-

tion. The advising system includes individual

advising, advising families, extended advising

families, the Sibbs program, and Annual

Reports and CVs.

Individual Advising

Every student has an Olin faculty member as

an adviser. Every adviser’s goal is to facilitate

students’ academic and personal development

throughout their education at Olin. Although

they help students with courses and other aca-

demic choices, their most vital responsibility is

to help advisees manage the difficulties and

stresses inherent in any academic setting.

Students meet with their advisers regularly all

four years, at a rate determined by the student

and the adviser.

Advisers are not around just to approve cours-

es or discuss academics. They serve a variety

of functions including mentoring, crisis aware-

ness and support, discussing Annual Reports

and CVs, providing institutional and career

information, and helping students find a

balance among curricular, co-curricular and

extracurricular activities. Students should view

advisers as helpful resources for whatever

issues they are dealing with — academic,

social or personal. When advisers do not have

the needed information or expertise, they help

find someone who does.

Students may remain with one adviser

throughout or change advisers at the formal

“adviser request period” at the end of each

academic year. A student wishing to switch

advisers at other times may discuss this with

Assistant Dean of Student Life Alison Black.

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Olin wants advising to be successful and will

do whatever we can to make this relationship

supportive, positive and effective.

Advising Families

Individual advising relationships are set within

advising families consisting of all a faculty

member’s advisees, and extended families con-

sisting of three faculty members and their

advisees. Students will often meet individually

or in advising families with their primary advis-

er. Other times they will meet with some or all

of the other advisers and students in their

extended families. Families and extended fami-

lies vary in their activities, but all provide a

structure for incoming students to meet upper-

class students, allow for cross class meetings

and discussions, give students multiple faculty

perspectives, and plan periodic social activities.

Students are strongly encouraged to take part

in initiating and organizing advising family and

extended advising family activities; funds are

available from the Office of Student Life.

Sibbs Program

The Sibbs program builds bridges (hence the

double “b”) between first-year and upper class

students. Volunteer upper-class Sibbs (often

from the same advising family) “adopt” a first-

year to help him or her adjust to the unique

culture, quirks and inside information of Olin.

They contact their incoming Sibb over the

summer to answer questions before arrival.

Early in the year, Sibb pairs get together for a

meal at least weekly. Upper-class Sibbs also

introduce their first-year Sibbs to people and

places in the area by inviting them to do sever-

al activities during the fall. The most important

role, however, is to talk with, answer questions

from, give information to, and generally be

available to the incoming student. If either

member of the Sibb pair feels that the relation-

ship is not working well, they should discuss

this with each other or contact Assistant Dean

of Student Life Alison Black.

Annual Reports and CVs

Throughout their time at Olin, students will

write and revise Annual Reports and CVs; these

documents will be shared with advisers when

appropriate. The purpose of writing these doc-

uments and discussing them with advisers is to

help students choose wisely from the myriad

of curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular

options available and make adjustments to get

the most out of their Olin experience. The CV

is a listing of the activities across the Learning

Continuum the student has participated in each

semester. CVs provide a helpful background for

meeting with advisers to plan for the future as

well as for writing resumes for job or intern-

ship applications. In the Annual Report, stu-

dents reflect on the challenges and successes

of the year and set goals for the future.

Students will have the opportunity to develop

their Annual Reports and CVs through work-

shops offered by the Office of Student Life.

Students are encouraged to keep these docu-

ments up to date and submit them to their

adviser regularly. Certain activities, such as

registering for courses or passionate pursuits,

are impacted by having Annual Reports and

CVs up to date. Students who change advisers

should submit recent copies of these docu-

ments to their new adviser by their first meet-

ing.

Prior to the commencement of their first year

at Olin, new students will be asked to submit

educational and personal goals to their adviser.

These goals can then be used to assist the

student in the development of their first Annual

Report.

Community Service

Mission

One of the guiding missions of Olin College is

to instill a spirit and practice of “giving back”

among students through significant and ongo-

ing service to the community. Philanthropy was

the central force in the F. W. Olin Foundation

and Olin College since its inception and Olin

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■ STUDENT LIFE

College is committed to supporting and contin-

uing this tradition among its students, faculty

and staff. Olin College encourages community

service by providing financial support through

the Office of Student Life and reserving time

dedicated to community service weekly in the

schedule. To learn more about community

service at Olin and how you can be involved,

read on! For more information visit:

http://serv.olin.edu

Structure

The Organization to Support, Encourage, and

Recognize Volunteerism (SERV) helps students,

faculty, and staff get involved with a variety of

community service activities at Olin. SERV con-

sists largely of individual community service

projects which involve groups of students, fac-

ulty and staff who meet regularly to do com-

munity service. Any member of the Olin com-

munity may start a project. Each project selects

its own leader who is responsible for all

aspects of the project including getting volun-

teers, determining budget needs, coordinating

with the appropriate outside organizations and

making necessary practical arrangements.

SERV is available throughout to provide advice

and support.

Project leaders attend periodic meetings of the

Association of Project Leaders (APL). At APL

meetings, project leaders report on individual

projects and discuss common issues and con-

cerns across projects. They consider ways to

coordinate projects and generally support and

improve the functioning of community service

at Olin.

SERV is governed by seven elected student

officers and three faculty/staff advisers who

foster community awareness, increase involve-

ment in community service activities and gen-

erally work to support and coordinate commu-

nity service activities at Olin. They coordinate

with outside groups seeking volunteers, plan

one-time and whole community events, main-

tain the website (http://serv.olin.edu), charter

projects, make budgeting decisions and gener-

ally deal with community service concerns that

arise throughout the year. If you have any

questions, feel free to contact the SERV officers

for the 2007–2008 academic year.

For more detailed information about the poli-

cies and services discussed here and offered

by the Office of Student Life, please refer to the

Student Handbook.

Admission, Expenses

and Need-Based Aid

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

ADMISSION ■

Applying to Olin

Olin College will enroll approximately 75 top

students from all over the world for the class

of 2012. By traditional measures (course rigor,

test results and achievement) the quality of stu-

dents we seek will be outstanding; however,

we place equal importance on personal charac-

ter, creativity, risk-taking, unusual life experi-

ences and an entrepreneurial spirit.

Specifically, we are looking for:

• Exceptional academic ability and perform-

ance, especially in math and science;

• Strong written and oral communication

skills;

• Excellence in and dedication to co-curricu-

lar and extracurricular activities;

• Evidence of leadership and collaboration;

• Understanding of Olin College’s mission;

• Adventurous and entrepreneurial spirit;

• Energy, commitment to high standards,

perseverance and a sense of humor.

Olin College strives for gender balance and a

student body that is multidimensional, repre-

senting a broad range of cultural, economic

and geographic backgrounds. Olin College is

now approved by the INS to issue I-20 forms

(student visas) and seeks a multicultural pres-

ence on campus by enrolling international

students and those with significant internation-

al experience. US Permanent Residents and

Greencard holders are also eligible for admis-

sion. The application process and timeline are

the same for all applicants, regardless of their

residency status.

The Olin Application

The Olin College Application for Admission is

available exclusively online. A PDF version of

the application and required forms are also

available on our website,

www.olin.edu

, but

applicants are strongly encouraged to com-

plete the application online. There is no Early

Action or Early Decision.

Admission Process

The Application for Admission consists of

seven parts.

1. Basic biographical information

2. Application fee ($70 U.S./$80 International)

and signed Affidavit

3. Secondary school report (returned by your

counselor with official transcripts, current

senior grades and a high school profile)

4. Two teacher recommendations — one from

a core math or science teacher and one

from a teacher of your choice

5. Results of the SAT or ACT with Writing, plus

two SAT Subject Tests (Math Level 1 or 2

and a science exam of your choice). Our

SAT code is 2824; the ACT code is 1883.

6. Two essays — one 500 words and the other

300 words

7. Personal résumé of activities, honors,

awards, employment, etc.

After applications have been reviewed, approx-

imately 180 top applicants will be selected to

attend one of our two “Candidates’ Weekends”

in late February and early March. During these

weekends Candidates will participate in group

design exercises, interviews and informal dis-

cussions with Olin faculty and students. It is

from this group of Candidates that we will

select the incoming class.

Application Timetable

2007–08

December 1, 2007

Deadline for submitting application and

supporting materials

December 2007

All standardized testing must be completed

Early February 2008

Applicants notified if they have achieved

“Candidate” status

February 29–March 1, 2008

Candidates’ Weekend #1

March 7–8, 2008

Candidates’ Weekend #2

Late March 2008

Notification letters are mailed

May 1, 2008

National Candidates‘ Reply Date

Admission Visits and

Tours

Tours and information sessions are available

by appointment only. Please go to our

website at

http://www.olin.edu/admission/

visits_tours.asp

to schedule your visit.

Day and Overnight Visits

Day visits allow prospective students to attend

a class, meet current students and faculty, and

enjoy a meal in our Dining Hall. Class visits in

the fall are scheduled by appointment on

Mondays through Thursdays.

Overnight visits for high school seniors may be

scheduled on Sunday through Thursday nights

from early-to-mid fall. Space is limited, so

please schedule your visit well in advance by

emailing

[email protected]

. In the spring,

overnight visits are limited to admitted stu-

dents.

Office of Admission Hours

Monday through Friday: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Saturdays in the fall: 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

Please see the

Directions/Visiting

page on our

website for information about transportation,

lodging and dining in the area.

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ ADMISSION

Costs and Aid

Scholarship Policy

Olin’s generous scholarship policy stems from

one of the founding principles of the college —

to provide a world-class engineering education

at a significantly reduced cost to students and

their families. All admitted students who enroll

at Olin College receive an Olin Scholarship

covering tuition during the four years of the

baccalaureate program. This scholarship is

currently valued at over $134,000.

Estimated Cost: Academic Year 2007–08

Below are estimated costs for the upcoming

academic year. We expect nominal increases in

these figures for subsequent years.

Billed Expenses

Tuition $33,600 (covered by

scholarship)

Room $7,800

Meal Plan $4,000 (Blue Plan)

(choose plan)

$3,750 (Silver Plan)

Laptop $1,250 (1

two of four

Purchase payments)

Health Insurance $682 (if needed)

Student Activity $175

Fee

Unbilled Expenses

Books & Supplies $750 (estimate)

Travel & $1,500 (estimate)

Incidentals

Cost of Attendance $49,757 (with Blue Meal Plan)

Olin Scholarship – 33,600

Balance $16,157

Need-Based Assistance

Olin College offers need-based financial assis-

tance in the form of federal, state and institu-

tional programs.

Families interested in applying for additional

assistance to meet costs in excess of the Olin

College Scholarship should complete the

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student

Aid) online. Olin’s institutional code is 039463.

For more information go to

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/index.htm

An Example of Need-Based Aid

Eligibility for need-based aid is determined by

federal methodology, which calculates a fami-

ly’s ability to contribute. If the Expected Family

Contribution (EFC) is less than $12,657 then the

student is eligible for need-based aid from Olin

College and may also be eligible to receive fed-

eral funds as part of his or her total financial

aid package.

Cost of Attendance $49,757

Olin Scholarship –33,600

Net Cost $16,157

Summer Earnings –2,000

Campus Employment –1,500

Balance $12,657

–EFC

Unmet Need

Students and their families may also elect to

apply for educational loans to help cover a por-

tion or all of the EFC. Families who are interest-

ed in pursuing loans and/or a monthly tuition

management program are encouraged to con-

tact MEFA, the Massachusetts Educational

Financing Authority, at 1-800-449-MEFA.

Please direct any questions regarding need-

based assistance to our financial aid officer in

the Student Accounts and Records (StAR)

Center at 781-292-2340.

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

COSTS AND AID ■

Outside Scholarship

Policy

All students are expected to pursue outside

merit scholarships (local, regional, and nation-

al). These scholarships bring distinction to

the student and to Olin. If the scholarship is

nonrestricted, the funds can be applied to

billed expenses including room, meal plan,

required laptop purchase and other educational

expenses. If the scholarship is restricted to

tuition only, it reduces the amount of the Olin

Scholarship accordingly. The total of all schol-

arships, grants, and self-help cannot exceed

the total Olin College student budget. Please

note that outside scholarships may affect the

amount of need-based assistance a student is

eligible to receive from Olin College.

National Merit/Achievement Finalists who

win either a National Merit or National

Achievement Scholarship from the National

Merit Scholarship Corporation or another cor-

porate sponsor are able to use this scholarship

at Olin College and will be identified as

National Merit/Achievement Scholars.

However, finalists who designate Olin College

as their first choice college but do not receive a

NMSC or corporate-sponsored scholarship will

remain National Merit Finalists, since Olin does

not currently sponsor National Merit or

National Achievement scholarships.

Olin Scholarship Policy

The Olin College tuition scholarship is for eight

consecutive semesters of full-time study.

Anyone permanently disqualified to attend or

return to Olin College for academic or discipli-

nary reasons will forfeit the remaining portion

of the scholarship. Study Away (which requires

pre-approval) or an internship for credit counts

as one of the eight scholarship semesters; the

student is expected to pay for costs associated

with any such activity, including host institution

tuition and fees (if required). For mid-semester

leaves of absence, the partial semester counts

as one of the eight scholarship semesters; pay-

ment of tuition is required for any semester(s)

beyond eight before graduation. For end-of-

semester leaves of absence, the semester on

leave does not count as one of the eight schol-

arship semesters (unless the student requests

transfer credit for this semester). Olin College

provides accommodations for documented dis-

abilities. In extenuating circumstances, excep-

tions may be granted by the Vice President for

Academic Affairs.

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ COSTS AND AID

Faculty, Instructors,

and Consultants

Faculty Profiles

Sarah Spence Adams, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Mathematics

Dr. Adams maintains an active research pro-

gram that focuses on increasing the reliability

and efficiency of wireless communications.

She earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in mathematics

at Cornell University, where she was also a

member of the Wireless Intelligent Systems

Laboratory in the Department of Electrical

and Computer Engineering. She holds a B.S.

(summa cum laude) in mathematics from

the University of Richmond. Dr. Adams has

conducted research at the National Security

Agency (NSA), the Institute for Defense

Analyses, Center for Communications

Research, and the NATO Advanced Study

Institute. Recently, she wrote a book on alge-

braic coding theory that is used to introduce

applications to abstract algebra classes. She

is an ExxonMobil Fellow in the Mathematical

Association of America’s (MAA) Project NExT

and serves on MAA national committees

involving undergraduate programs/research.

Dr. Adams recently received an NSA Young

Investigator’s Grant to support her research

in space-time coding, an NSF grant to engage

undergraduates in long-term research experi-

ences, and an NSF grant to develop a new,

multi-faceted coding theory and cryptology

course.

David Barrett, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering

and Design and Director of SCOPE

Dr. Barrett teaches Mechanical Engineering

and Robotics at Olin. His research laboratory at

Olin works in the area of unmanned robotic

vehicles. Prior to joining the Olin faculty, Dr.

Barrett was vice president of engineering at

iRobot Corporation, where he was responsible

for identifying new business opportunities,

establishing strategic partnerships, directing

project teams and developing a wide range of

robotic systems. Before iRobot, Dr. Barrett was

a director at the Walt Disney Imagineering

Corporation. In addition to his many published

articles, Dr. Barrett holds eight patents with

previous colleagues on a variety of robotic

systems. He is a member of numerous profes-

sional societies including IEEE Robotics and

Automation, Vehicular Technology, and Ocean

Engineering Societies. Dr. Barrett received his

Ph.D. and M.S. in ocean engineering and M.S.

in mechanical engineering, all from MIT and a

B.S. in mechanical engineering from the

University of Lowell.

Brian Bingham, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Brian Bingham is an Assistant Professor of

Mechanical Engineering at Olin College. He is

also a Guest Investigator at the Woods Hole

Oceanographic Institution Deep Submergence

Laboratory (WHOI-DSL). Dr. Bingham’s

research focuses on increasing the scientific

capabilities of underwater robots, specifically

how they navigate in the deep ocean. Based

on a background in dynamics and control sys-

tems, he works on hardware (instruments) and

software (algorithms) for improving the preci-

sion and the robustness of underwater robot

navigation. Currently, Dr. Bingham is working

on bringing together chemical sensing and

real-time localization so that future

autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) can

make decisions based on their environment.

Dr. Bingham has participated in recent expedi-

tions collecting vent snails in the Lau Basin

(South Pacific), measuring heat-flux of

hydrothermal vents at the Juan de Fuca Ridge

(off the Seattle coast), mapping the Mid-

Atlantic Ridge and surveying ancient ship-

wrecks in the Cyclades islands and in the

Black Sea. Dr. Bingham holds Ph.D. and S.M.

degrees from MIT and a B.S. from the

University of Missouri-Rolla — all in mechani-

cal engineering.

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

FACULTY PROFILES ■

CATALOG

FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ FACULTY PROFILES

John R. Bourne, Ph.D.

Professor of Electrical and Computer

Engineering, Professor of Technology

Entrepreneurship (Babson College) and

Director of the Sloan Center for Online

Education at Olin and Babson Colleges

An expert in online learning, Dr. Bourne joined

Olin from Vanderbilt University in 2000, where

he was professor of electrical and computer

engineering and professor of biomedical engi-

neering. At Vanderbilt he pioneered an innova-

tive learning methodology, the asynchronous

learning network (ALN). He headed Vanderbilt’s

Center for Innovation in Engineering Education

and the ALN Center. He established the

ALN Web in 1996 and launched the Sloan

Consortium, a group of over 1000 institutions

supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

He currently serves as Executive Director of the

Sloan Consortium. Dr. Bourne recently received

the Education Activities Board Meritorious

Achievement Award in Continuing Education

from the IEEE. He received the Sloan

Consortium 2001 Award for “Most Outstanding

Achievement in ALN by an individual.”

Dr. Bourne received his Ph.D. in electrical

engineering from the University of Florida.

He is a Fellow of the IEEE and the American

Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers.

He is founder and editor-in-chief of the

Journal

of Asynchronous Learning Networks

and was

editor-in-chief of

Critical Reviews in Biomedical

Engineering

until 2006.

Debbie Chachra, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Materials Science

Dr. Chachra’s current research focuses on natu-

ral materials. Much of her research is on bone,

including investigating the effect of therapies

for osteoporosis on its mineralization and the

mechanical properties. She also investigates

other biological materials, such as the poly-

ester nest cell linings of

Colletes

bees. In addi-

tion to her scientific research, she is involved

in a research study looking at some issues

relating to engineering education, including

understanding why students leave engineering

school, and her particular focus is on diversity

and educational outcomes for first- and sec-

ond-generation immigrants. Prior to joining the

faculty of Olin College, Dr. Chachra was a post-

doctoral associate at MIT in the Department of

Materials Science and Engineering. She joined

MIT from the University of Toronto, where she

received her master’s degree and Ph.D. in

materials science. Dr. Chachra has a bachelor’s

degree in engineering science, also from the

University of Toronto. She was a recipient of a

National Sciences and Engineering Research

Council of Canada postdoctoral fellowship

and a Medical Research Council of Canada

graduate fellowship, as well as numerous other

academic honors.

Mark L. Chang, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer

Engineering

Dr. Chang received his Ph.D. in electrical engi-

neering from the University of Washington.

He received his M.S. in electrical and computer

engineering from Northwestern University

and his B.S. from Johns Hopkins University.

During his studies Dr. Chang earned an Intel

Foundation Graduate Fellowship. Dr. Chang

has conducted research in developing comput-

er-aided design tools and methodologies for

easier implementation of arithmetic hardware

onto FPGA devices. His research interests

include FPGA arithmetic and architecture,

computer-aided design tools, reconfigurable

computing and VLSI design.

Rebecca Christianson, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Applied Physics

Originally from Minnesota, Dr. Christianson

joined the Olin College faculty after completing

a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University.

Her research includes confocal microscopy

studies of colloidal suspensions and thermal

transport measurements of nanofluids. Dr.

Christianson received her Ph.D. from MIT and

her B.S. in physics and B.A. in music (perform-

ance concentration) both from Stanford

University. When not doing physics, playing

her oboe or singing, she prefers to be outside

hiking, canoeing, biking or playing with her

kids.

Diana Dabby, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering

and Music

Dr. Dabby has taught at MIT, Tufts University

and Juilliard. She received her Ph.D. and M.S.

degrees in electrical engineering and computer

science from MIT and a B.S. in electrical engi-

neering from City College of New York. In addi-

tion, she holds an M.F.A. in music from Mills

College as well as a B.A. in music from Vassar

College. While at MIT, Dr. Dabby combined

music and engineering in her application of

chaos theory to musical variation. She has

given a number of concert/lectures on her work

sponsored by the National Association of

Schools of Music, MIT, Princeton, Cornell,

Dartmouth, IEEE, FIRST Place of New

Hampshire, New Horizons in Science, and

Harvard. She has been heard on NPR member

station WBUR-FM as well as at the Siemens

Foundation “Beautiful Minds, Beautiful Music”

Symposium at Carnegie Hall. As a concert

pianist, Dr. Dabby has performed solo concerts

in New York’s Weill (Carnegie) Recital Hall,

Merkin Concert Hall and at venues in Budapest

and Hong Kong, among others. As a chamber

musician, and as a composer, she has per-

formed at Boston’s Jordan Hall, Symphony Hall

and at Tanglewood. Her latest work, September

Quartet, a 5-movement work scored for voices,

winds, brass, percussion, violin and piano, was

commissioned to commemorate the 150th

anniversary of the founding of Tufts University.

Helen Donis-Keller, Ph.D.

Professor of Biology and Art

Dr. Donis-Keller was previously at the

Washington University School of Medicine,

where she was a professor of surgery and

director of the Division of Human Molecular

Genetics. She has also held leadership posi-

tions in the biotechnology industry, where she

led a group that developed the first genetic

linkage map of the human genome. Dr. Donis-

Keller holds an M.F.A. in studio art from the

School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston

and Tufts University and a Ph.D. in molecular

biology and biochemistry from Harvard

University. She also received an Honorary

Doctor of Science from Lakehead University.

Dr. Donis-Keller enjoys combining her interests

in art and science. Her “scientific” artwork is

featured in exhibits across the nation.

Allen Downey, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Computer Science

Before coming to Olin, Dr. Downey taught at

Colby College and Wellesley College and

held research positions at the San Diego

Supercomputer Center and Boston University.

His research is based on the application of the

tools of empirical science to computer systems

and networks. Dr. Downey is the author of

several textbooks, including three versions of

How to Think Like a Computer Scientist,

introduction to computer science using Java,

C++ or Python. He received his Ph.D. in com-

puter science from University of California,

Berkeley. His B.S. and M.S. degrees are from

MIT in civil engineering.

Ozgur Eris, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Design and Mechanical

Engineering

Dr. Eris joined Olin from Stanford University,

where he was the associate research director

of the Center for Design Research. His current

research is in design cognition and information

systems. He has authored several award win-

ning NSF and NASA research proposals, and a

recent book on the question-asking processes

of design teams. Professionally, he has

designed systems ranging from a pneumatic

sample delivery machine to a railroad control

center. He earned a B.S. (cum laude) from the

University of Washington in mechanical engi-

neering, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from

Stanford University in mechanical engineering

design.

John Geddes, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Mathematics

Prior to joining the Olin faculty, Dr. Geddes was

an assistant professor of mathematics at the

University of New Hampshire, where he

worked on laser-based chaotic communication

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

FACULTY PROFILES ■

schemes and pulse dynamics in mode-locked

lasers. He currently receives funding from the

NIH for a project on the mathematics of

microvascular blood flow. Dr. Geddes graduat-

ed from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh,

Scotland with a B.Sc. in physics. He received

his Ph.D. in applied mathematics from the

University of Arizona.

Stephen S. Holt, Ph.D.

Professor of Physics and Babson College

Director of Science

The former Director of Space Sciences at the

NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center, Dr. Holt

is a leader in the field of high energy astro-

physics. He was the NASA project scientist on

eight NASA missions, including cooperative

scientific missions with the UK, Germany,

Japan and Russia; he was also the founding

Chief Scientist for NASA’s Space Station

Program. Dr. Holt’s many accolades

include NASA’s highest civilian honor, the

Distinguished Service Medal. Since coming to

Olin, he has received COSPAR’s International

Scientific Cooperation Medal and has been

elected to fellowship in the International

Academy of Astronautics. He has chaired the

Astrophysics Divisions of the American

Physical Society, the American Astronomical

Society, and COSPAR. His research focuses on

the detection and analysis of X-ray emission

from supernovae and black holes. Dr. Holt

received a B.S. degree with honors in engineer-

ing physics and a Ph.D. in physics from New

York University.

David V. Kerns, Jr., Ph.D., P.E.

Franklin and Mary Olin Distinguished Professor

of Electrical and Computer Engineering and

Babson College Professor of Technology

Entrepreneurship

Dr. David Kerns was the Founding Provost and

Chief Academic Officer of Olin College from

1999 to 2007. Prior to coming to Olin College,

he held the Orrin Henry Ingram Distinguished

Professorship in the Department of Electrical

Engineering at Vanderbilt University, where he

also chaired the Department, directed the

Management of Technology Program, and

served as the chief academic officer of the

School of Engineering. He is the past-president

of the IEEE Education Society, a Fellow of the

IEEE, author of numerous technical papers, and

holder of over ten patents. His research inter-

ests include entrepreneurship and intellectual

property, MEMS devices, analog circuit design

and innovation in engineering education. A

recipient of the IEEE Millennium Award, he has

also founded several successful technology

enterprises. Acclaimed for outstanding scholar-

ship and teaching, he is the co-author of two

successful textbooks: I

ntroduction to Electrical

Engineering

and

Essentials of Electrical and

Computer Engineering

. He received his B.S.,

M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from Florida State

University.

Sherra E. Kerns, Ph.D.

F. W. Olin Professor of Electrical and Computer

Engineering

Dr. Sherra Kerns is a national leader in engi-

neering education. She served as Olin’s found-

ing Vice President for Innovation and Research

from 1999 to 2007. She currently serves on the

Board of Directors of the Accreditation Board

for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and is

a past ABET Commissioner and Executive

Committee Member. Dr. Kerns also served as

110th president of the American Society for

Engineering Education (ASEE); on the NAE

Engineering 2020 Committee; and has played a

number of leadership roles in FIRST (For

Inspiration and Recognition of Technology). A

researcher in microelectronics, Dr. Kerns has

authored more than 100 published technical

journal papers and made seminal contributions

to enhancing information integrity of digital

microelectronics in space and other extreme

environments. A Fellow of the IEEE for her

technical achievements and of ASEE for her

educational contributions, Dr. Kerns is also the

recipient of the Harriet B. Rigas Outstanding

Woman Engineering Educator Award and the

IEEE Millennium Medal, among other honors.

Dr. Kerns previously served as Director of the

multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary University

Consortium for Research on Electronics in

Space (UCRES) and was chair of the

Department of Electrical and Computer

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ FACULTY PROFILES

Engineering at Vanderbilt University. She is

also the former President of the National

Electrical Engineering Department Heads

Association. She received her A.B. from Mount

Holyoke College, M.A. from the University of

Wisconsin and Ph.D. from the University of

North Carolina, all in physics.

Christopher Lee, Ph.D

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Prior to joining the Olin College faculty, Dr. Lee

was a lead engineer in the New Technologies

Engineering Division at the Lawrence

Livermore National Laboratory. He was respon-

sible for supporting lab programs through

computational analysis and vibration measure-

ments. His projects ranged from buildings

(vibration signature based system identifica-

tion) to micro-devices (portable bio-pathogen

and chemical detectors, accelerometers,

adaptive optics arrays) to medical systems

(catheter-based device for the treatment of

cerebral aneurysms, retinal prosthesis, novel

breast cancer imaging system). He has co-

patented a carbon-nanotube based acoustic

sensor. His current areas of research focus on

stochastic system identification for structural

damage detection, nonlinear dynamics, and

the mechanics of DNA. Dr. Lee has a B.S.E.

degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell

University. He has M.S.E. degrees in both

mechanical and aerospace engineering and a

Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from

the University of Michigan.

Benjamin Linder, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Design and Mechanical

Engineering

Dr. Linder is a designer and researcher whose

interests include sustainable design, creative

design methods and design education. He is

also actively involved in entrepreneurship

including a social venture. Dr. Linder received a

B.S.E. in mechanical engineering and a B.S.E.

in electrical engineering from the University of

Michigan where he studied engineering design.

He received his M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical

engineering from MIT where he studied prod-

uct design and design education.

Caitrin Lynch, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Humanities and Social

Sciences

Dr. Lynch received her Ph.D. and M.A. in cultur-

al anthropology from the University of Chicago

and her B.A. in anthropology from Bates

College. She is the author of a book entitled

Juki Girls, Good Girls: Gender and Cultural

Politics in Sri Lanka’s Global Garment Industry

(Cornell University Press). Prior to joining the

Olin faculty, Dr. Lynch was an assistant profes-

sor of anthropology at Drew University.

Additional professional experience includes

several fellowships, including a Mellon

Postdoctoral Fellowship at Johns Hopkins

University. Her research interests include gen-

der, labor, nationalism globalization, and aging;

her areas of focus are South Asia (specifically,

postcolonial Sri Lanka) and the United States.

Robert Martello, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of the History of Science

and Technology

Prior to joining Olin, Dr. Martello was a

lecturer at MIT and was the digital history

annotations and features producer for the

Sloan Foundation’s American history textbook,

Inventing America

, published by W.W. Norton

in 2003. He was also active as an environmen-

tal consultant. His primary research interests

include the interdisciplinary examination of his-

torical narratives from technological, environ-

mental and entrepreneurial perspectives. Dr.

Martello’s current research uses Paul Revere’s

career to tell the story of America’s progress

through simultaneous political and industrial

revolutions, and he has offered public lectures

on these topics at various Boston-area institu-

tions. Dr. Martello received his Ph.D. from

MIT’s program in the History and Social Study

of Science and Technology. He received an

M.S. degree from MIT’s Department of Civil

and Environmental Engineering and a B.S.

degree from MIT in the field of earth, atmos-

pheric and planetary science.

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

FACULTY PROFILES ■

Richard K. Miller, Ph.D.

President and Professor of Mechanical

Engineering

As Dean of the College of Engineering at the

University of Iowa, where he served before

joining Olin, Dr. Miller created the nation’s first

Technological Entrepreneurship Certificate

Program for engineers. His research interests

include structural dynamics and nonlinear

mechanics. He is the author or co-author of 100

reviewed journal articles and other technical

publications. Other interests include innovation

in undergraduate education and entrepreneur-

ship. Dr. Miller has won five teaching awards at

two universities. He earned his B.S. degree in

aerospace engineering from the University of

California, Davis. He earned his M.S. degree in

mechanical engineering from MIT, and his

Ph.D. in applied mechanics from the California

Institute of Technology.

Bradley A. Minch, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer

Engineering

Prior to joining the Olin College faculty, Dr.

Minch was an assistant professor at Cornell

University in the School of Electrical and

Computer Engineering. During his time at

Cornell, he was the recipient of three teaching

awards and one freshman advising award.

In 2000 he received an Early CAREER Award

from the NSF. Dr. Minch’s research interests

are in the areas of analog and mixed-signal

integrated circuit design. Dr. Minch received

his Ph.D. from the Computation and Neural

Systems program at the California Institute of

Technology, where he worked in the laboratory

of Professor Carver Mead. He received his B.S.

in electrical engineering from Cornell

University.

Michael Moody, Ph.D.

Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of

Faculty and F.W. Olin Professor of Mathematics

Dr. Moody joined Olin College from Harvey

Mudd College, an engineering-focused mem-

ber of the Claremont colleges in California. At

Harvey Mudd, Dr. Moody was the Diana and

Kenneth Jonsson professor of Mathematics

and chair of the mathematics department.

While there, he played a major role in a com-

prehensive curriculum design effort and built

the mathematics department into one of the

finest in the country. Dr. Moody received his

B.A. degree from the University of California

at San Diego in 1975, and completed a Ph.D.

in applied mathematics at the University of

Chicago in 1979. In 1981 he joined the faculty

at Washington State University. His appoint-

ment at Harvey Mudd began in 1994. Dr.

Moody’s research in biomathematics focuses

on genetic models for evolving populations.

His developmental work in teaching is concen-

trated on designing and implementing curricu-

lar models and technological tools to improve

mathematics education for engineers and sci-

entists. At Olin, he is responsible for creating a

strong academic and administrative infrastruc-

ture to advance the college’s unique education-

al mission.

Christopher Morse, Ph.D.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Before coming to Olin College, Dr. Morse was

a faculty member in the chemistry department

at Tufts University where his courses covered

both graduate and undergraduate curricula.

At Tufts he served as the Graduate Training

Coordinator, with the responsibility for the

pedagogical training of the graduate students,

especially those interested in careers in acade-

mia. He also successfully ran the Summer

Institute on College Teaching for seven years,

a program that trained graduate students in

educational skills, and then paired them with

veteran faculty members to co-teach courses.

Before Tufts, Dr. Morse was at MIT where he

received his doctoral degree in inorganic

chemistry in the lab of Alan Davison as a

National Science Foundation Predoctoral

Fellow. While at MIT, he also served as the

chemistry liaison and taught chemistry

courses through the Experimental Study

Group. During his summers, Dr. Morse taught

chemistry for Project Interphase, which pre-

pared underrepresented minorities from rural

and urban areas for the rigors of first-year

courses. For this effort, he was awarded the

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ FACULTY PROFILES

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

FACULTY PROFILES ■

Goodwin Medal for excellence in teaching by

a graduate student. He also holds an A.B. from

Dartmouth College. At Olin, Dr. Morse teaches

courses in general and organic chemistry. He

is currently working on a textbook for a course

about art, art history and art preservation from

a chemical perspective. Dr. Morse remains

interested in pedagogy training and his current

focus is on using cooperative education to

teach critical thinking through chemistry and

the role of math skills for success in the sci-

ences.

José Oscar Mur-Miranda, Ph.D

Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer

Engineering

Before coming to Olin, Dr. Mur-Miranda was an

associate professor of Electrical Engineering at

the Inter American University of Puerto Rico,

Bayamón Campus. Prior to that, he was a

research consultant in energy harvesting

systems at the Centre Nacional de

Microelectrònica in Barcelona, Spain. He

received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering and

computer science from MIT, with a dissertation

on electrostatic vibration-to-electric energy

conversion under Professor Jeffrey H. Lang.

He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees from MIT,

both in electrical engineering. Dr. Mur-Miranda

has been actively involved in teaching since

1995 and has taught courses in electronic sys-

tems, electric circuits, electronic devices, com-

munications, control and signal processing,

and fields, forces and motion. He has also

taught physics to incoming freshmen in MIT’s

Interphase summer program. He served in the

Professional Education Policy Committee of the

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Department at MIT. Dr. Mur-Miranda is passion-

ate about the welfare of students both inside

and outside the classroom. His teaching style

has been recognized by his students and peers

as effective and engaging. Dr. Mur-Miranda has

designed and implemented industrial process

control and automation systems for various

pharmaceutical companies. His electrostatic

vibration energy harvester is the first published

design of its kind in the literature. His current

research interests lie in the areas of energy

harvesting and MEMS design, focusing on

electromechanic energy transduction. Dr.

Mur-Miranda is a proud Catalonian, born in

Barcelona, Spain, from a Puerto Rican mother

and a Spanish father from Aragón. He was

raised between Spain and Puerto Rico until he

became an “adopted” Bostonian in 1990.

Gill Pratt, Ph.D.

Professor of Electrical and Computer

Engineering

Dr. Pratt was previously an associate professor

of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

at MIT. During his time at MIT, he was the

recipient of an award for excellence in teaching

and an NSF CAREER award. Dr. Pratt’s research

is in the area of robotics. He also has a strong

interest in early engineering education and the

societal aspects of technology. Dr Pratt

received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in electrical

engineering and computer science from MIT.

His Ph.D. work was in the area of signal encod-

ing in the nervous system.

Joanne C. Pratt, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences

Dr. Pratt joined Olin College from National

Jewish Medical Research Center (NJC) in

Denver, CO where she was an Instructor in the

Division of Cell Biology and the Department of

Pediatrics. Prior to her position at NJC, she was

an Instructor in Pediatrics at Dana-Farber

Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School,

where she completed her postdoctoral training.

She also spent a year at Hôpital Saint-Louis in

Paris, France. As a principal investigator, she

has received grants from The Cancer League of

Colorado and The Association for International

Cancer Research to fund her research. She was

awarded a National Research Science Award

Individual Fellowship as well as a fellowship

from The Medical Foundation. Dr. Pratt’s

research interests are focused on the factors

that control the growth and functional pro-

grams of white blood cells. Her specific area of

expertise is in the role of adapter proteins in

the regulation of biochemical pathways that

translate extracellular signals into nuclear

events in T cells. This research is relevant to

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

certain forms of cancer, such as leukemia and

lymphoma, as well as AIDS and autoimmune

diseases. Dr. Pratt holds a Ph.D. in immunology

from the University of Pennsylvania and an

A.B. in biology from Smith College.

Stephen Schiffman, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at

Olin and Babson Colleges

Prior to joining the Olin faculty, Dr. Schiffman

was the dean of the Undergraduate Program at

Babson College and a senior partner at Olin

College. In his two years as a Senior Olin

Partner, Dr. Schiffman worked closely with the

faculty to develop and improve the Olin cur-

riculum. He has been a Babson faculty member

in Entrepreneurship, Mathematics and MIS

since 1986. He was the architect of Babson’s

revised undergraduate curriculum, which

launched in the fall of 1996. In 1997, the Pew

Charitable Trusts recognized this effort by

selecting Babson for a Pew Leadership Award

for renewal of undergraduate education. Dr.

Schiffman holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from

Dartmouth College as well as an M.S. in man-

agement from the Sloan School at MIT. He

has taught at the University of Colorado and

Colorado College. Prior to joining Babson, he

worked at Digital Equipment Corporation.

Christina Shea, M.F.A.

Visiting Writer

Ms. Shea is an independent writer, a novelist,

and author of

Moira’s Crossing

(Simon &

Schuster, 2000), which was a Barnes & Noble

Discover New Writers selection. She is also the

coauthor of numerous Frommer’s guides to

Hungary and is currently at work on her second

novel. She has been the recipient of a Bunting

Fellowship at Radcliffe College as well as a

Soros Foundation grant. In addition to her

work at Olin, she is a core faculty member in

the MFA program in Creative Writing at Lesley

University. She has been associated with Olin

since 2002, when she came aboard for two

years as writing consultant. In 2005, she

returned to teach a creative writing elective,

and since then has signed on to teach creative

writing to first years and to mentor independ-

ent study in writing. She received her B.A. from

Kenyon College and her M.F.A. from University

of Michigan.

Alisha Lilly Sieminski, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Bioengineering

Dr. Alisha Lilly Sieminski joined Olin after

being a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research

Service Award post-doctoral fellow in the

Biological Engineering Division at MIT. She

holds a Ph.D. in bioengineering from the

University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in

chemical engineering from MIT. Dr. Sieminski’s

research interests revolve around how cells

interact with and perceive their immediate

surroundings — with a focus on cell mechanics

and cell-biomaterial interactions. Since coming

to Olin, Dr. Sieminski has enjoyed developing

new bioengineering courses focused on trans-

port in biological systems, tissue engineering,

cell mechanics, and biological thermodynam-

ics.

Mark Somerville, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering

and Physics

Dr. Somerville joined Olin from Vassar College,

where he was assistant professor of physics.

He strongly believes in the educational value

of involving students in hands-on research and

in integrating communication skills into the

curriculum. His research focuses on the physics

of semiconductor devices. Dr. Somerville holds

M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineer-

ing from MIT, as well as an M.A. in physics

from Oxford University. He earned a B.S. in

electrical engineering and a B.A. in english

from the University of Texas at Austin. He

was a Rhodes Scholar.

Lynn Andrea Stein, Ph.D.

Professor of Computer and Cognitive Science

Dr. Stein joined Olin from MIT, where she was

an associate professor of Computer Science

and directed a research group on interactive

intelligent computer systems. Dr. Stein’s pio-

neering approach to the teaching of computer

■ FACULTY PROFILES

science is based on this interactive model

rather than the traditional linear view of com-

putation. She studies ways to make computers

smarter and humans more effective. She has

built humanoid robots and intelligent rooms,

next-generation (semantic) web infrastructure

and philosophical theories. She is the recipient

of the NSF Young Investigator Award and

MIT’s Spira Teaching Award, and IEEE Senior

Member and a Fellow of the KISS Institute for

Practical Robotics. She has a B.S. (cum laude)

in computer science from Harvard and

Radcliffe Colleges and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees

in computer science from Brown University. In

the 2007–2008 academic year, Dr. Stein will be

on sabbatical leave at Harvard University’s

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences,

but she welcomes contact from the Olin com-

munity during this time.

Jonathan Stolk, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering

and Materials Science

Dr. Stolk joined Olin College from Bucknell

University, where he was a visiting assistant

professor in the Chemical Engineering

Department. Dr. Stolk holds M.S. and Ph.D.

degrees in materials science and engineering

from the University of Texas at Austin and a

B.S. in mechanical engineering from the

University of Texas at Arlington. His materials

science research interests include the synthesis

of nanoscale metal alloys and electroactive

metal-polymer composites; and his work in

education includes the design and implementa-

tion of self-directed learning environments, and

investigations of the effects of disciplinary inte-

gration, student autonomy, and project-based

learning on student motivation and develop-

ment.

Brian D. Storey, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Storey holds a Ph.D. from the University of

California, Berkeley, a M.S. from the University

of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.S.

from the University of Texas at Austin, all in

mechanical engineering. Dr. Storey’s research

interests are in the broad areas of fluid dynam-

ics and computational science, including appli-

cations such as geophysical flows, cavitation,

and microfluidics. Current research projects

involve electrokinetic and electrochemical

flows in microfluidic devices. Dr. Storey has

received NSF funding to support undergradu-

ate research at Olin.

Burt Tilley, Ph.D.

Professor of Mathematics

Dr. Tilley received a Ph.D. in applied mathemat-

ics from Northwestern University, a B.S. in

electrical engineering and a B.A. in modern

languages from the University of Lowell. Dr.

Tilley joined Olin College from the New Jersey

Institute of Technology. He was the recipient of

an NSF NATO postdoctoral research fellowship

at the Hydrodynamics Laboratory at the École

Polytechnique in France. Dr. Tilley’s general

research interests include the stability and

interfacial dynamics of thin film flows, the

dynamics of fluid systems in the presence of

large electric fields, mathematical modeling

and industrial applied mathematics. He is on

the organizing committee for the Mathematical

Problems in Industry Workshop, and is a mem-

ber of the editorial board of the Fields Institute

electronic research journal Math-in-Industry

Case Studies.

Jessica Townsend, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Before joining Olin, Dr. Townsend was a

research associate in the Department of

Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT. She was

also a post-doctoral associate at the FAA/NASA

Center for Excellence for Aviation Noise and

Emissions Mitigation at MIT. Her doctoral work

was also done at MIT in the Gas Turbine

Laboratory where she developed, tested and

modeled evaporatively cooled turbine blades

for advanced aircraft engines. Prior to returning

to school for her doctorate, Dr. Townsend spent

three years in industry at Hamilton Sundstrand

Power Systems, a manufacturer of auxiliary

power units for commercial and military air-

craft. She was the recipient of the AIAA

Foundation Wilbur and Orville Wright and

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FACULTY PROFILES ■

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■ ACADEMIC PARTNERS

Gordon C. Oates Air breathing Propulsion

Awards. Dr. Townsend also received an

American Association of University Women

Engineering Dissertation Fellowship. Her

research interests include turbine blade cool-

ing, nanofluids, and thermal-fluid systems. She

received her M.S. in mechanical engineering

from the University of California, Davis and

B.S. in mechanical engineering from the

University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Raymond Yim, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer

Engineering

Raymond Yim received his B.Eng. and M.Eng.

from McGill University in Canada, and Ph.D.

from Harvard University in 2006. He has previ-

ously worked at the High Capacity Transport

group in Nortel Networks, and at the Digital

Communications and Networking Group in

Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratory

(MERL). His recent research has focused on

the design of distributed protocols that enable

cooperative communications, as well as distrib-

uted reverse-link rate control algorithms in IS-

856 CDMA systems. His broader research inter-

ests include cross-layer design for wireless net-

works, distributed control and resource alloca-

tion in ad-hoc and sensor networks, large-scale

networks, pricing and multi-user information

theory.

Yevgeniya V. Zastavker, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Physics

Before joining Olin, Dr. Zastavker was a visiting

assistant professor of Physics at Wellesley

College where she taught physics and per-

formed biophysics research. Born and raised in

Kiev, Ukraine she came to the United States in

1990 having received two years of education

at the Kiev Pedagogical College and a degree

from one of Kiev’s schools of music. She grad-

uated from Yale University with a B.S. in

physics and holds a Ph.D. in biological physics

from MIT. Her current research interests are

twofold: Dr. Zastavker is investigating physico-

chemical properties of various biological and

synthetic self-assembling membranes that

have significant biomedical and industrial

applications; she also performs science and

engineering education research in collabora-

tion with colleagues from the Civil Rights

Project at Harvard University and TERC, Inc.

Dr. Zastavker recently represented the United

States at the IUPAP (International Union of

Pure and Applied Physics) First and Second

International Conferences on Women in

Physics. She continues to work on the issues of

women and minorities in science and engineer-

ing both through her research and active par-

ticipation in various professional societies. Dr.

Zastavker has received numerous outstanding

reviews for her teaching both at MIT and

Wellesley College.

Academic

Partners

Woodie Flowers, Ph.D.

Distinguished Olin Partner

Dr. Flowers is the Pappalardo professor of

Mechanical Engineering at MIT. He received a

B.S. from Louisiana Tech University and S.M.,

M.E. and Ph.D. degrees from MIT. His interests

include creative design processes, product

development systems, and innovations in edu-

cation. At MIT, he has received several honors

for extraordinary contributions to undergradu-

ate education including a MacVicar Faculty

Fellowship. Currently, Dr. Flowers is a director

of three companies and serves as National

Advisor for FIRST.

Joni Moody, J.D.

Senior Partner for Legal Studies

Ms. Moody’s practice is limited to criminal

defense (appellate only) and immigration law.

She serves on the appellate panel for the

Committee for Public Counsel Services, a state

supported agency that provides legal services

for indigent criminal defendants. She is admit-

ted to practice in Massachusetts, and before

the United States District Court, D. Mass., and

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

the First Circuit. Memberships include the

American Immigration Lawyers Association,

the National Association of Criminal Defense

Lawyers, and the Federal Bar Association, as

well as Suffolk County Litigation Inns of Court.

Ms. Moody is a graduate of Roger Williams

University Law School in Rhode Island. Prior to

attending law school she was a graduate stu-

dent academic advisor for ten years. At Olin

she advises students who are considering a

career in law and assists them with the law

school admission process.

Janey Pratt, M.D.

Senior Olin Partner in Health Sciences

Dr. Pratt is a General Surgeon specializing

in bariatric and breast surgery at the

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). She

is the director of the nutrition support unit as

well as the associate director for surgical serv-

ices at the MGH Weight Center. She teaches

medical students from Harvard and is currently

an instructor in surgery at Harvard Medical

School. Dr. Pratt holds a B.A. degree from

Wellesley College in chemistry and an M.D.

from Tufts University School of Medicine.

Dr. Pratt advises Olin students interested in

pursuing health science post-graduate careers,

including M.D. and M.D./Ph.D. degrees. Using

her background in innovative medical technol-

ogy and surgery, Dr. Pratt is a resource for stu-

dents interested in medical technology. She is

also involved in an advising family at Olin and

assists classes when medical topics arise. She

teaches all incoming freshmen a course in first

aid for engineers and also with the help of stu-

dent instructors trains all incoming freshmen

to use an AED and do CPR. She works closely

with Professor Gill Pratt in advising medically

related SCOPE projects.

Mark Rice, Ph.D.

Professor of Technology Entrepreneurship

Mark P. Rice is the Murata Dean of F. W. Olin

Graduate School of Business and the Jeffry A.

Timmons Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies

at Babson College. He is also professor of

Technology Entrepreneurship at Olin. Dr. Rice

is co-author of

Radical Innovation: How Mature

Companies Can Outsmart Upstarts

, which was

published by Harvard Business School Press.

His research on corporate innovation and

entrepreneurship has been published widely —

in academic and practitioner journals including

Organization Science, R&D Management,

Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice,

IEEE Engineering Management Review,

Academy of Management Executive, and

California Management Review. Dr. Rice con-

sults and teaches in the areas of innovation

management, entrepreneurship, technology

strategy, and new business incubation. Dean

Rice previously served as director of the

nationally recognized Rensselaer Polytechnic

Institute (RPI) Incubator Program and as co-

founder and director of the Severino Center for

Technological Entrepreneurship at RPI. He has

been a director and chairman of the National

Business Incubation Association, which hon-

ored him in 1998 with its Founder’s Award.

With Dr. Jana Matthews, he co-authored

Growing New Ventures — Creating New Jobs:

Principles and Practices of Successful Business

Incubation

. Before returning to academia, Dean

Rice was an investment broker and the director

of mergers and acquisitions for a business bro-

kerage firm. In the late 1970s and early 1980s,

Dr. Rice was co-founder and President of

Power Kinetics, Inc., a solar energy R&D

and manufacturing company. In 2002 Rice

received the Edwin M. and Gloria W. Appel

Entrepreneurship in Education Prize. Dr. Rice

holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical

engineering and a Ph.D. in management from

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

ACADEMIC PARTNERS ■

Instructors,

Academic Visitors

and Technical

Staff

David Anderson

Master Instructor of Mechanical Design and

Fabrication

Prior to joining Olin, Mr. Anderson was an

optomechanical engineer with Network

Photonics, a start-up company developing all-

optical switches for Dense Wavelength Division

Multiplexing (DWDM) Networks. He was a

founding employee and played an instrumental

role in engineering the product from initial con-

cept to production. Mr. Anderson’s areas of

interest and expertise include design, analysis

manufacturing and testing of precision

mechanical systems. He frequently contributes

software reviews to mechanical engineering

trade journals. While at Olin, he has designed

and developed a number of prototypes includ-

ing an underwater device for freeing whales

from lobster trap buoy line entanglement, ini-

tial concept robot prototypes, optical sensing

devices and structures for marine applications.

He received his B.S. in mechanical engineering

from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Bruce Andruskiewicz

Instructor of Machining

Before joining Olin College, Mr. Andruskiewicz

worked in industry at Packard Machinery,

where he served as service manager and

applications engineer. In this role he was

responsible for providing technical support

and customer training, as well as servicing and

installing machinery, including CNC machining

centers, turning centers, manual mills, lathes,

and support equipment. Mr. Andruskiewicz is

a Class A machinist who has held industry

positions for over twenty five years with com-

panies such as Laurel Brooke, Inc., Minuteman

Labs, McPherson, Inc. and Tech-Ridge. He is a

graduate of the University of Massachusetts

Amherst.

Sadie Aznavoorian-Cheshire, Ph.D.

Biology Laboratory Specialist

Dr. Aznavoorian-Cheshire’s primary research

interests are in the mechanisms of tumor cell

invasion and metastasis, with an emphasis on

extracellular matrix (ECM)-mediated regulation

of tumor cell migration and protease produc-

tion. Dr. Aznavoorian-Cheshire received her

Ph.D. in microbiology from Boston University

Graduate School of Medical and Dental

Sciences, where she examined the interactions

of carcinoma cells with basement membrane

proteins. She pursued post-doctoral studies at

the National Institutes of Health, Laboratory of

Pathology, examining the stimulated migration

of melanoma cells by host-derived factors and

its possible role in promoting invasion of the

basement membrane barrier separating epithe-

lium from interstitial tissue. As a Staff Scientist

at the University of Alabama at Birmingham,

Dr. Aznavoorian-Cheshire studied the matrix

metalloproteinase-mediated degradation of

interstitial type I collagen by oral squamous

carcinoma cells, and its regulation by the

binding of b1 integrins to collagen. This was

followed by a Research Assistant Professor

position in the Department of Cancer Biology

at UMass Medical School where Dr.

Aznavoorian-Cheshire’s studies focused on reg-

ulation of growth and motility of prostate carci-

noma cells by integrins of distinct subclasses.

Aaron Boxer

Visiting Engineer

In addition to his appointment at Olin, Mr.

Boxer is a Consulting Engineer at Millogic

Corporation. He has been designing digital

electronics for over 30 years at a number

of companies including Digital Equipment

Corporation, 3COM and AMCC. He has also

been involved in five high-tech startup efforts.

Mr. Boxer’s engineering accomplishments

include the first single-board floating point

array processor, one of the early cache-

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ INSTRUCTORS AND CONSULTANTS

coherent distributed memory multiprocessors,

one of the first Gigabit Ethernet switches and

several digital design patents. His work has

also been published in IEEE Spectrum and sev-

eral engineering trade journals. Mr. Boxer’s

engineering interests include the problems of

design and verification that confront large

chip design projects. His educational interests

include helping students learn how to be suc-

cessful engineers in both large companies and

small startups. He also hopes to help students

see how much fun engineering can be. Mr.

Boxer holds a B.S. and an M.E. in biomedical

engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic

Institute.

Lucy E. Dunne, Ph.D.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Engineering

Design

Dr. Dunne’s research lies in the interdisciplinary

field of wearable technology design, which

bridges such disparate fields as fashion design,

electrical engineering, computer science,

ergonomics, and textile engineering. She

received her Ph.D. in computer science from

University College Dublin, and her M.A. and

B.S. (hons) degrees in apparel design from

Cornell University. She also holds an A.A.S

degree in electronic technology. Dr. Dunne

has worked and researched in fashion design,

soldier systems, biomedical technology, and

smart clothing. Her current research (while

generally eclectic) focuses on bio-monitoring

through body-garment interactions, and on

the design of truly wearable technology. This

includes the social, psychological, and physical

aspects of worn objects and body adornment,

as well as the optimization of sensing tech-

niques for the noisy, imprecise environment

of wearable technology.

Gillian Epstein, Ph.D.

Consultant in Writing

Prior to joining Olin College, Dr. Epstein was a

senior consultant and instructor for FreshPond

Education, a professional development compa-

ny. While at FreshPond Education, she devel-

oped and led team-driven development pro-

grams that trained participants to create chal-

lenging curriculum projects in the humanities,

implement a vigorous peer review process and

use online publishing tools to share curriculum

research and lesson development. Prior to her

position with FreshPond Education, Dr. Epstein

was an instructor of composition and literature

at the University of California, Berkeley, where

she won a teaching award in 1999 and a

Mellon research fellowship in 1999–2000. Dr.

Epstein earned her Ph.D. from the University

of California, Berkeley and her B.A. from

Wesleyan University, both in english. Her

academic interests include nineteenth-century

American literature, novel theory and feminist

theory.

Steven K. Gold, M.D.

Instructor of Entrepreneurship

Dr. Gold is an entrepreneur who has co-found-

ed and served as CEO of several early stage life

science, software, and Internet ventures. His

experience includes designing and launching

new enterprises, and developing and commer-

cializing innovative products and services. Dr.

Gold is the inventor of six patented and patent-

pending technologies, and is the author of a

best-selling book on the start-up process, enti-

tled

Entrepreneur’s Notebook: Practical Advice

for Starting a New Business Venture

. After

starting his undergraduate years as a mechani-

cal engineering student and studying oceanog-

raphy aboard a research vessel in the North

Atlantic, he earned a B.S.E. in entrepreneurial

management from the Wharton School of the

University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Gold also has

a M.D. from Brown University Medical School,

and spent time studying pediatrics and

pediatric surgery at the Karolinska Institute

in Stockholm, Sweden. At Olin, Dr. Gold

teaches the Foundations of Business and

Entrepreneurship course, and is an advisor to

emerging businesses associated with the Olin

Foundry. He is an advocate for entrepreneur-

ship in general, and entrepreneurship for

engineering and science students in particular

— believing that entrepreneurship offers an

exceptional way to transform ideas into prod-

ucts and services that benefit society. Dr. Gold

is currently CEO of Thincfast Corporation, a

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INSTRUCTORS AND CONSULTANTS ■

technology investment company focused on

developing life science and web-based service

opportunities.

Georgi Gospodinov, Ph.D.

Visiting Fellow in Mathematics

Dr. Gospodinov’s interests lie in the field of

3- and 4-dimensional geometry and topology,

knot theory, and non-linear dynamics. His

recent work focuses on contact geometry

and classification results in that field, with a

passion for certain mathematical aspects of

financial math and stochastic processes.

Dr. Gospodinov was born and grew up in

Sofia, Bulgaria, where he attended the German

Language High School full-time and the

English Language High school part-time. He

received a full scholarship to attend Whittier

College in Calif., where he majored in math

and physics, and studied chaos theory,

philosophy, and sociology. He then went on to

pursue his Ph.D. in pure math from Brandeis

University. During his doctoral studies, he also

studied radio astronomy and yoga. Some of

Dr. Gospodinov’s most treasured memories

include attending a Floer Homology and

3-Dimensional Topology conference in

Budapest, Hungary, where he met a number

of great people and found out that math could

be fun, especially when balanced out by danc-

ing, the Euro Soccer Cup, and experiencing an

amazing culture, which reminded him a great

deal of his own.

Matthew Neal

Materials Science and Chemistry Laboratory

Specialist

Before joining Olin College in 2006, Mr. Neal

was engaged in various aspects of research,

development, and manufacturing of supercon-

ducting, magnetic, and micro-electromechani-

cal systems (MEMS) devices. Mr. Neal received

his S.M. in electronic materials from MIT,

where his research was on the processing and

characterization of superconducting thin films.

He also graduated from Washington State

University with a B.S. in physical metallurgy.

Mr. Neal has been a member of three start-up

companies, developing high temperature

superconducting wire, thin film superconduct-

ing devices, and MEMS devices. He was

also a materials scientist for the former

Superconducting Supercollider Laboratory

studying eddy current losses in superconduct-

ing magnets and magnetoresistance in steel

beam tubes. He has also been a vacuum

process engineer in a high volume manufactur-

ing facility producing thin film recording heads.

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FRANKLIN W. OLIN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

■ INSTRUCTORS AND CONSULTANTS

Board of Trustees,

President’s Council,

and Senior

Administration

Board of Trustees

William R. Cotter, J.D.

President Emeritus, Colby College

Mr. Cotter retired in November 2005 as

President of the Oak Foundation in Boston,

MA, an international philanthropic organization

focusing on social and environmental issues

around the globe. He remains as Chair of the

Oak Foundation’s Advisory Board, and is a con-

sultant to the Robertson Foundation in New

York. He served from 1979–2000 as President of

Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where he

remains a life trustee. Prior to joining Colby,

Mr. Cotter was President of the African-

American Institute in New York. He has also

served as assistant attorney general in north-

ern Nigeria, as an associate with a Wall Street

law firm in New York, as Representative of the

Ford Foundation for Colombia and Venezuela,

and as a White House Fellow. He has received

numerous honors and awards, including five

honorary degrees. Mr. Cotter serves on the

boards of several academic, philanthropic, and

non-governmental organizations. His published

writings concern the history of the abolition of

slavery in the United Kingdom and the U.S.,

foreign policy relating to Africa, and U.S. high-

er education. He is a graduate of Harvard

College (A.B. 1958) and Harvard Law School

(J.D. 1961). He and his wife Linda (Wellesley

’58; Harvard Graduate School of Education, ’60)

live in Concord, Massachusetts.

Tamara P. Davis, M.A.

Managing Director, Corporate Governance

Practice, Levin & Company, Inc.

Tamara P. Davis is the Managing Director and

leader of the Corporate Governance Practice at

Levin & Company, Inc. in Boston. In this role,

she consults with CEOs and Boards of national

entrepreneurial life science companies about

Board composition and effectiveness, gover-

nance best practices, and building Boards as

strategic assets. Previously, Ms. Davis served

as President, Chief Executive Officer, and

Director of UST Leasing Corporation, an invest-

ment banking/financial services company in

Boston. She was also formerly an Assistant

Dean of Humanities at Santa Ana College in

California and an educator within the Los

Angeles City Schools system. Ms. Davis is cur-

rently Chairman of the Massachusetts State

College Building Authority, a former Vice

Chairman of the Massachusetts Educational

Financing Authority, and a former Director of

the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.

She also serves or has served on several cor-

porate, academic and nonprofit Boards. Ms.

Davis earned an M.A. (summa cum laude) from

California State University, Northridge and a

B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles.

C. Scott Gibson

CEO, Gibson Enterprises

Mr. Gibson is CEO of Gibson Enterprises, a

venture capital firm. He has spent more than a

decade as an investor and serving as chairman

of Radisys Corporation and five other public

companies, as well as a director of several non-

profits. Prior to founding Gibson Enterprises,

Mr. Gibson was the co-founder and president

of Sequent Computer Systems, which reached

$800 million in annual sales before being sold

to IBM. Previously, Mr. Gibson was employed

for seven years by Intel Corporation, where he

held various management positions, including

general manager of the Memory Components

Operation and marketing manager for the

Development Systems Operation. Mr. Gibson

received his M.B.A. in Finance and his B.S.

in electrical engineering from the University

of Illinois. He was awarded the Lifetime

Achievement Award from Oregon

Entrepreneurs Forum in 2001 and was recog-

nized as American Electronics Association’s

Oregon High Tech Executive of the Year in

1990.

William F. Glavin, M.B.A.

President Emeritus, Babson College

Mr. Glavin retired in 1997 as President of

Babson College, where he served for eight

years. As Babson’s ninth President, he is credit-

ed with advancing the school’s curriculum and

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national reputation. Mr. Glavin joined Babson

after holding several leadership positions,

including Vice Chairman at the Xerox

Corporation. Prior to joining Xerox in 1970,

he held a number of senior executive positions

with IBM. Mr. Glavin has received numerous

honors and awards, including honorary Doctor

of Laws degrees from both The College of the

Holy Cross and Babson College, as well as

the Distinguished Alumni Award from the

University of Pennsylvania. He has served on

the board and advisory councils of several

corporations and academic institutions. He

received his B.S. from The College of the Holy

Cross and his M.B.A. from the Wharton School

of the University of Pennsylvania.

Carla L. Gude, M.A.

Former Vice President of Technology, IBM

Ms. Gude was Vice President of Technology,

IBM Corporate Staff, Somers, NY. She is an

experienced executive and information sys-

tems professional with 32 years of experience

with IBM in a wide variety of management and

executive positions for software product devel-

opment, information technology and corporate

technical strategy. In her many years with IBM

she served in various positions including vice

president of Systems Software, director of

Enterprise Workgroup Networking Software,

director of Process Support and Application

Architecture, and manager of Information

Systems. She is a member of several non-

profit health care Boards. Ms. Gude received

her B.A. from Vassar College and her M.A.

from Cornell University.

Paul C. Jennings, Ph.D.

Professor of Civil Engineering and Applied

Mechanics, Emeritus, California Institute of

Technology

Professor Jennings received his B.S. degree

in civil engineering from Colorado State

University and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees,

also in civil engineering, from the California

Institute of Technology. After serving in the

United States Air Force as a member of the

faculty of the Air Force Academy, he joined the

faculty of Caltech in 1966. He served as chair-

man of the Division of Engineering and Applied

Science from January 1985 to November 1989.

He was Caltech’s vice president and provost

from November 1989 to February 1995.

Following that he became acting vice president

for Business and Finance until September of

1995; he held this post again in 1998–1999.

From 2004 to 2007 he again became Caltech’s

provost. He is a member of the National

Academy of Engineering, a past President of

the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute,

a past President of the Seismological Society

of America, and a Fellow and past-chair of the

California Council on Science and Technology.

Professor Jennings is the author of numerous

technical papers on earthquake engineering

and dynamics of structures and has served as

earthquake engineering consultant on the

design of high-rise buildings, offshore drilling

towers, nuclear power plants and other major

projects. He was a member of the Board of

Inquiry on the Loma Prieta earthquake appoint-

ed by California’s Governor Deukmejian. He is

the chair of Pasadena’s City Hall Restoration

Oversight Committee and he has served on

several committees of the National Academy

of Engineering and the National Research

Council, including chairing the Draper Prize

Committee, chairing the Committee on Natural

Disasters, and chairing the Committee on

Criteria for the Management of Los Alamos

and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories.

His awards include the Newmark Medal and

the Huber Prize of the American Society of Civil

Engineers and the Honor Alumnus and

Achievement in Academia Awards from

Colorado State University. He is a Fellow of

both the American Academy of Arts and

Sciences and the Association for the

Advancement of Science.

Robert N. McBurney, Ph.D.

Chief Scientific Officer and Senior VP, Research

& Development, BG Medicine, Inc.

Dr. McBurney is chief scientific officer and

senior VP, Research and Development, at

BG Medicine, Inc., a biotechnology company

focused on discovering novel molecular

biomarkers and commercializing innovative

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molecular diagnostic products that improve

healthcare. He has over 30 years of experience

in biomedical research and management. His

responsibilities have ranged from conducting

independent, internationally-recognized med-

ical research as an academic, to leading an

emerging U.S. biopharmaceutical company,

Cambridge NeuroScience, Inc., as its president

and CEO. A biophysicist by training, Dr.

McBurney served on the faculty of the Medical

School of the University of Newcastle upon

Tyne (UK) for nine years and was assistant

director of the Medical Research Council’s

Neuroendocrinology Unit at Newcastle General

Hospital. He has also served on the research

staff at the National Institutes of Health in

Bethesda, MD, the Physiological Laboratory of

Cambridge University (UK) and the Medical

School of the University of New South Wales

(Australia). Dr. McBurney has initiated and

managed multiple projects to discover and

develop novel pharmaceutical treatments for

disorders of the nervous system, including

treatments to limit brain damage following

stroke and head injury. He also has extensive

experience in the formation and business

development activities of start-up biotech

companies and serves as chairman of the

Board of Differential Proteomics, Inc. He is for-

mer judge for the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship

Competition, the nation’s premier business

plan competition teaching students how to turn

their ideas into companies. An author of many

scientific papers, Dr. McBurney received his

Ph.D. from the University of New South Wales

in physiology.

Lawrence W. Milas, L.L.B.

President and Director, F. W. Olin Foundation,

Inc.

Mr. Milas has been a Director of the F. W. Olin

Foundation, Inc. since 1974 and has served as

President since 1983. During his tenure the

Foundation made more than $200 million in

building grants to colleges and universities

across the country. In 1993 Mr. Milas proposed

the establishment of Franklin W. Olin College

of Engineering to the Foundation Board. He

has led the development effort since the Board

approved the concept in 1997 and served as

the Founding Chair of the College from 1999

thru 2006. He was a partner in the former New

York City law firm of Baer Marks & Upham,

where he specialized in tax and trusts and

estate law. Currently, he is Of Counsel to

Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP.

Mr. Milas has received honorary degrees from

Washington and Jefferson College, Whitman

College, Roanoke College and the F. W. Olin

Graduate School of Business at Babson

College. He is a recipient of the Babson Medal

from Babson College and served several terms

on Babson’s Board of Trustees. A 1958 gradu-

ate of Babson College (with distinction), he

received his LL.B. degree from Columbia

University in 1963.

Richard K. Miller, Ph.D.

Ex-Officio

President, Franklin W. Olin College of

Engineering

Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Before joining Olin College as its first

president, Dr. Miller served as dean of the

College of Engineering at the University of

Iowa from 1992–99. He spent the previous

17 years on the faculty of the University of

Southern California in Los Angeles and the

University of California, Santa Barbara. He has

published extensively in the field of applied

mechanics and has been recognized for teach-

ing excellence. He serves on the board and

advisory councils of several academic institu-

tions and one corporation. He received the

Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award from

the College of Engineering at the University

of California, Davis, where he received a B.S.

(with highest distinction) in 1971. He also

received an M.S. from MIT in 1972 and a Ph.D.

from Caltech in 1976. Dr. Miller received the

Legacy of Iowa Engineering Award from the

University of Iowa College of Engineering in

2006.

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William B. Norden, J.D.

Chairman of the Board

Director, Secretary and Counsel, F. W. Olin

Foundation, Inc.

Partner, Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner

LLP

Mr. Norden became Chairman of the Board of

the College in 2006. He is a partner in the law

firm of Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner

LLP in New York City and has extensive experi-

ence in legal matters related to trusts, estates

and charitable organizations. He has been a

director of the F.W. Olin Foundation, Inc. since

1988 and has served as secretary and counsel

to the Foundation since 1983. Mr. Norden also

serves on the Board of the Samuel and Rae

Eckman Charitable Foundation, Inc., the

New York City Fire Museum and the Honor

Emergency Fund of the Fire Department of the

City of New York. He received his B.S. in eco-

nomics from Brooklyn College in 1967 and his

J.D. from the New York University Law School

in 1969.

John W. Prados, Ph.D., P.E.

Vice President Emeritus and University

Professor, University of Tennessee

President Emeritus, ABET

Dr. Prados is vice president and University pro-

fessor emeritus at The University of Tennessee,

where he spent more than 50 years. He is a

former editor of the Journal of Engineering

Education of the American Society for

Engineering Education (ASEE) and is a

past President of ABET, Inc. (formerly, the

Accreditation Board for Engineering and

Technology). Dr. Prados has served as director

and treasurer of AIChE; executive counselor of

Tau Beta Pi; president and treasurer of Sigma

Xi, The Scientific Research Society; Chair of

the Engineering Accreditation Commission of

ABET; senior education associate at the NSF;

and advisor and consultant to more than 30

universities and state education agencies in

the U.S. and abroad. His awards and honors

include the L.E. Grinter Distinguished Service

Award of ABET; the James T. Rogers Award

of the Commission on Colleges, Southern

Association of Colleges and Schools, for out-

standing leadership in regional accreditation;

and the Lifetime Achievement Award in

Chemical Engineering Pedagogical Scholarship

from ASEE. He received his B.S. at the

University of Mississippi and his M.S. and

Ph.D. at The University of Tennessee, all in

chemical engineering, and is a registered

professional engineer in Tennessee.

Henry E. Riggs, M.B.A.

Founding President Emeritus, Keck Graduate

Institute of Applied Life Science

Mr. Riggs is the Founding President Emeritus

of Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life

Science, founded in 1997 in Claremont, CA.

From 1988-97 he was president of Harvey

Mudd College. From 1974–88 he was the

Thomas Ford professor of Engineering

Management at Stanford University, where he

was also vice president for development,

1983–88. Earlier in his career he held officer

positions in two high technology companies.

Mr. Riggs hold a B.S. degree in engineering,

an MBA (with high distinction) from Harvard

University, and honorary doctorates from

Harvey Mudd College and Keck Graduate

Institute. He is the author of five books and

numerous articles and papers.

President’s

Council

The President’s Council is a group of distin-

guished advisors who volunteer their time to

counsel the president on a full range of issues

relating to curriculum, student life, administra-

tion and finance, governance, admission and